Young Brave Hearts – CH 101

Chapter 101: Classmate Wedding 04

◎ Is it exciting enough? ◎

Although she was on her period, because of Zhao Qijia’s phone call that night, Lu Rangchen still “retaliated” by making a lot of noise with Zhu Yunque, though he was the one who suffered.

Even after Zhu Yunque offered to help him, he still went to the bathroom himself.

It just took a while, and when he came back, Zhu Yunque was already asleep, curled up in bed.

Lu Rangchen lay down beside her with a smile, pulled her closer, kissed her forehead, and held her tighter.

Sensing that he had returned, Zhu Yunque moved her shoulders slightly, nestled in his arms, hugged the man’s lean and strong waist, and continued to sleep comfortably.

The next day.

Zhu Yunque called Xu Linda to tell her about Zhao Qijia asking for her help. Xu Linda was still laughing uncontrollably at Lu Rangchen.

“Hahaha, how can he be so exaggerated?”

“It’s hilarious! He’s married and still so concerned about Zhao Qijia. What, has this guy really become his obsession?”

“But, Zhao Qijia, of all people, why did he have to ask you for this? Doesn’t he care about embarrassing Gao Ge?”

Speaking of Gao Ge, Zhu Yunque was also quite helpless.

She said, “Zhao Qijia means that she doesn’t have many friends willing to help, so she has to ask him to find some. But you know, Zhao Qijia doesn’t have many close female classmates either. Besides the two of us, there’s no one else in Nancheng.”

“I don’t care about others, but you shouldn’t be a bridesmaid.”

Xu Linda cautioned her, “You’re already married, and besides, Gao Ge is so petty. She might even complain that you stole her thunder later.”

“Why would I steal her thunder?”

Zhu Yunque, tidying up the test papers to be handed out, said calmly, “I’m just an ordinary teacher.”

“Come on!”

Xu Linda said bluntly, “Do you believe that if she knew you and Lu Rangchen were married, she’d be so jealous she couldn’t sleep?”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She really didn’t understand Xu Linda’s thought process.

She also didn’t believe that after all these years, Gao Ge, now with Zhao Qijia, would still have any feelings for Lu Rangchen.

However, it turned out that Xu Linda understood Gao Ge’s mind better.

When Gao Ge learned that Zhao Qijia had gone to great lengths to find Xu Linda as her bridesmaid and that he had done so through Zhu Yunque, Gao Ge was furious.

She even had a huge argument with Zhao Qijia.

Zhao Qijia was genuinely speechless. He had no idea that girls’ “grudges” would be remembered for so many years, and he bluntly said that if Gao Ge had more friends, he wouldn’t have bothered asking Zhu Yunque for help.

Besides, the bridesmaid wasn’t Zhu Yunque, but Xu Linda.

Upon hearing Xu Linda’s name, Gao Ge calmed down.

After all, compared to Zhu Yunque, Xu Linda was a pretty good choice.

Moreover, her mother and Xu Linda’s mother knew each other, and her mother had previously suggested having Xu Linda help out.

At the time, Gao Ge was quite reluctant.

It wasn’t that she looked down on Xu Linda, but rather that they’d been at odds since childhood, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

But fate always seemed to bring what you resist into the future.

Gao Ge hadn’t found a suitable candidate after much searching, so the night before the wedding, Xu Linda went to the makeup studio that Gao Ge had arranged for a trial makeup session.

Xu Linda had originally wanted Zhu Yunque to accompany her, and Gao Ge, also expecting Zhu Yunque to come, had made a point of dressing up exquisitely and beautifully, afraid of being outshone by the two of them.

But what happened? She was throwing a punch at a brick wall.

Zhu Yunque didn’t even show up that night.

Gao Ge was genuinely surprised, even somewhat disappointed, because Xu Linda had deliberately provoked her during the makeup trial, saying, “What, you’re unhappy that she didn’t see how well you’re doing now?”

Xu Linda always had the power to deliver a fatal blow with a single sentence.

Gao Ge was speechless, as if she’d choked on an egg. It took her a while to swallow her anger, and she said, both embarrassed and annoyed, “Xu Linda, stop talking nonsense, okay?”

Xu Linda stuck her tongue out at her, her mischievousness just like in high school, leaving her helpless.

Gao Ge was both angry and amused.

She couldn’t resist her curiosity.

Thinking about it, she actually asked why Zhu Yunque hadn’t come. She thought that since the two of them were so close, Zhu Yunque would definitely come along.

But Xu Linda said, “What would she come for? It’s not like she has nothing better to do. Why would she waste her time on you?”

“…”

Gao Ge was truly speechless. “Couldn’t you at least stop teasing me a bit, considering I’m pregnant?”

Xu Linda chuckled twice. “You want me to stop teasing you? Did you stop teasing me? And back then, did you stop bullying our Yunque, both openly and secretly?”

That wasn’t untrue.

Back in high school, Gao Ge seemed indifferent to Zhu Yunque, but she secretly made a lot of sarcastic remarks about her.

After Zhu Yunque met Lu Rangchen, Gao Ge’s dislike for Zhu Yunque intensified, making her seethe with resentment. Xu Linda witnessed this countless times.

However, Gao Ge’s “badness” wasn’t the genuine malice of Lin Zhinian. At most, she would make sarcastic remarks and wouldn’t truly hurt Zhu Yunque.

After all, she was a proud person, and her proud personality was her foundation.

Therefore, Xu Linda and Zhu Yunque never truly challenged her.

Gao Ge herself, however, couldn’t quite get over the past.

Even though she was reluctant to admit it, she knew in her heart that during her teenage years, she was jealous of girls like Zhu Yunque.

Slender figure, small frame, fair and firm skin—even if she ate a lot, she didn’t have to worry about gaining weight or getting acne.

Her face was naturally beautiful and refined, never needing elaborate makeup; it was always clean and scholarly, unforgettable at first glance.

If it weren’t for the glasses that obscured more than a third of her beauty and her unassuming, quiet personality, Gao Ge definitely wouldn’t have won first place in the class beauty pageant back then.

At the time, Gao Ge’s greatest pride was that her grades were better than Zhu Yunque’s.

But even this sole advantage gradually disappeared starting in the second semester of her junior year. It seemed that Zhu Yunque could surpass her with just a little effort.

What Gao Ge resented most was that Zhu Yunque later became so close to Lu Rangchen.

She didn’t know when the rumors started, but people kept saying that Lu Rangchen seemed to have feelings for Zhu Yunque. Gao Ge heard it several times, and the most heartbreaking time, she even cried secretly.

A young girl’s secrets were always bittersweet and difficult to express, so Gao Ge never told anyone. But for some reason, right then and there, in the studio, with only her, the makeup artist, and Xu Linda in the room, she just confronted Xu Linda.

Of course, Xu Linda was also surprised.

She hadn’t expected that Gao Ge, such a proud and self-centered person, would one day open her heart to her and even admit to being jealous of Zhu Yunque in the past.

Gao Ge, on the other hand, remained quite calm. “So what? Didn’t you ever feel jealous of anyone in high school?”

She narrowed her eyes at Xu Linda. “That girl in Class C named Liu Sitong, she was so close to Deng Zhe back then, you were so angry you stomped your feet when you saw her, and then you even copied her by wearing a pink dress—”

“Hey, hey, hey, stop! We’re talking about you two; why are you bringing me up?” Xu Linda’s face flushed slightly, and she rolled her eyes at her, clearly not one to be trifled with.

It was a draw, Gao Ge chuckled contentedly, saying, “Judging from your expression, you haven’t forgotten Deng Zhe after all.”

“I haven’t forgotten anything.”

Xu Linda said readily, “I’ve dated so many men, and he’s still going on and on.”

Gao Ge exclaimed in surprise, then suddenly remembered something and said, “I heard that a few years ago his family had a lot of trouble; they went bankrupt, his father jumped off a building, and he was so poor he had to pay off the debts alone. Is that true? And is he now running a club with Lu Rangchen, and is Lu Rangchen managing him?”

“No, it’s just a supermarket.”

Xu Linda suddenly became a little annoyed. “Why bring him up? This is your wedding, not his.” “What’s wrong with mentioning him? It’s just chatting.”

Having found her weakness, Gao Ge smirked smugly. “Looks like you still care about him. But with your current situation, if you pursue him a little longer, he’ll definitely say yes.”

“…”

Xu Linda couldn’t help but glare at her, practically giving her the middle finger, and said, “Pregnant woman, don’t force me to argue with you.”

Even though Gao Ge was almost thirty, her confrontational attitude was still the same as in high school. She scoffed, “Go ahead and argue; I want to see what you can come up with.”

From Gao Ge’s perspective, Xu Linda really couldn’t come up with anything.

After all, her life was going quite smoothly.

She worked for a respectable state-owned enterprise, had a respectable job, and had a respectable partner, and even her in-laws were among the elite.

She really didn’t believe Xu Linda could do anything to provoke her. However, Gao Ge miscalculated.

Xu Linda had more than one thing that could provoke her.

First and foremost was Zhu Yunque’s marriage, and Gao Ge even knew her fiancé.

“No, you should say everyone in the entire Nancheng No. 3 High School knows him.”

At this moment, Xu Linda, dressed in her bridesmaid gown, pulled back the curtain, walked to the mirror, and glanced at Gao Ge nonchalantly. “Oh, by the way, you even wrote him love letters and pursued him back then.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Gao Ge’s face, on which she had just finished applying makeup, immediately turned somewhat embarrassed.

She looked at Xu Linda incredulously. “You’re not talking about Lu Rangchen, are you…? No, didn’t they break up back in college?”

Back then, when Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque got together, it caused a sensation among their entire old classmates.

Many people admired Zhu Yunque, saying she was shrewd, while many others didn’t think they would last long, predicting they would break up within a few months. Later, the two really did break up, and the gossip among their friends in private intensified.

To be honest, Gao Ge was secretly quite gloating at the time, even making a bet with someone that Lu Rangchen must have gotten tired of her, given the scandalous affair between their families; he must have been disgusted and dumped Zhu Yunque.

But in reality…

It wasn’t what she thought at all.

Xu Linda immediately sneered, “What do you mean, ‘dumped Zhu Yunque’? It was clearly Yunque who dumped Lu Rangchen. Lu Rangchen even went to Australia to beg for reconciliation, but Yunque still wouldn’t agree.”

“…”

Gao Ge looked as if she’d been slapped in the face at lightning speed, her face filled with disbelief.

Her initial sense of superiority over Zhu Yunque instantly plummeted.

She said, “Zhu Yunque dumped Lu Rangchen?? Why?? Is she crazy?”

“Queque is calm and rational.”

Back then, Xu Linda didn’t understand why Zhu Yunque was so determined to break up with Lu Rangchen. But years later, as a wise adult, Xu Linda realized how right Zhu Yunque’s decision was.

“Think about it, the pressure Lu Rangchen’s family put on her back then was immense. She couldn’t handle it. Even if she and Lu Rangchen clung to each other, and Lu Rangchen gave up a good life for her, they would still have conflicts later. Human nature is hard to fathom. Who knows if Lu Rangchen will really get tired of her later? If they break up, then it’ll be a real breakup.”

“On the other hand, their breakup back then gave them a glimmer of hope.”

“What’s a ‘white moonlight’? It’s someone you can’t have, can’t forget, and are haunted by for a lifetime.”

“How could Lu Rangchen forget her?”

“Besides, even without all these things standing in the way, Lu Rangchen really liked our Queque. He even applied to that university because of her. Isn’t that amazing?”

“And now Queque is independent. She doesn’t have to be afraid of anyone anymore. If they want to get back together, wouldn’t that be a natural progression?”

A truly insightful and accurate analysis.

Gao Ge was stunned.

Xu Linda casually added, “But they were right about one thing: it was indeed Queque who initiated the reconciliation, but she only took a few steps before Lu Rangchen gave in. Who could blame him for not giving up after all these years? The way he acted, he dragged her to get their marriage certificate not long after they got back together, shocking all our friends.”

“Later, Lu Rangchen even mailed both marriage certificates; only he knows where they were sent.”

“Sigh, not only is he a heartbreaker, but he’s also so handsome.”

Xu Linda shrugged enviously, then turned to Gao Ge with a forced smile and said, “How about that? Exciting enough?”

Gao Ge: “…”

Gao Ge suddenly understood what it meant to invite trouble.

But then again, she no longer liked Lu Rangchen, and he wasn’t even her ex-boyfriend, so she naturally had nothing to care about anymore. At most, she’d feel a little envious, wishing Yunque was finally with Lu Rangchen, the dream man of so many women.

She twitched her lips and said, “What’s so exciting about this? It’s their business; it has nothing to do with me.”

“That’s true.”

Xu Linda, dragging her skirt, sat back down in front of the vanity mirror, smoothing her hair, and said, “But there’s one thing you definitely don’t know.”

The emotions of the previous second hadn’t fully subsided.

The next second, Gao Ge looked at Xu Linda warily and said, “What don’t I know?”

Xu Linda said innocently, “Your dear, beloved husband used to be so infatuated with someone and pursued her relentlessly but failed, and that someone is our beautiful and generous Queque.”

The air fell silent instantly.

Now, not only was Gao Ge speechless, but even the makeup artist was unsure whether to continue.

…What did it mean to be infuriatingly irritating?

This was it.

The air remained silent for several seconds.

Gao Ge finally couldn’t hold back any longer. She grabbed her phone, jumped up, and stormed out of the dressing room, skirt in hand.

No sooner had she left than Xu Linda heard Gao Ge’s fierce voice echoing in the doorway, “Zhao Qijia, are you out of your mind?!”

“And most importantly,” Xu Linda looked at Zhu Yunque with sparkling eyes, “most importantly, it was she who kept saying in the alumni group that Lu Rangchen dumped you, didn’t want you, and said a lot of really nasty things. You don’t know, but I’ve remembered it all this time!”

Zhu Yunque smiled, leaned over, and affectionately put her arm around Xu Linda’s shoulder, saying in a coaxing tone, “My Linda is still the best to me.”

Xu Linda squinted at her. “Oh my, you’ve gotten quite the charmer with Lu Rangchen’s influence.”

Actually, it was more than just coaxing.

Ever since she got back together with Lu Rangchen and married him, Zhu Yunque’s aura had changed.

Others might not know, but Xu Linda, who had known her since childhood, always knew best.

The Zhu Yunque of the past was a somber figure, as if nothing and no one in the world could interest her; living was simply about surviving.

But now it was different. She was warm and radiant and exuded a gentle aura; she was no longer the soulless, walking corpse she once was.

Xu Linda was genuinely happy for her.

Zhu Yunque, teased by her words, smirked and was about to say something when a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class slowly pulled up in front of them.

The window rolled down, and Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, tilting his head at the two of them. “Stop chatting; get in the car.”

They had arranged it beforehand.

Zhu Yunque was going shopping with Xu Linda to buy breast pads, and Lu Rangchen was picking them up from the mall to take Xu Linda to Zhao Qijia and Gao Ge’s wedding banquet.

Xu Linda hadn’t expected Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque to skip it. She said with a disappointed “Ah, why aren’t you going? It would be so much better if you two went; lots of old classmates would be there.”

Zhu Yunque knew Xu Linda wanted to refute those who had been gossiping behind her back.

But she didn’t actually care about those people at all.

However, her indifference didn’t mean others didn’t care about her.

Lu Rangchen knew better than anyone how many rumors and gossip had been circulating about their past relationship.

So the man raised an eyebrow and looked at her, saying, “Really not planning to go?”

Zhu Yunque blinked, somewhat surprised, and said, “…You don’t mind?”

“Mind what?” Lu Rangchen’s tone was amused, his dark eyes looking at her captivatingly. “Mind whether Zhao Qijia will still have feelings for you? Even if I gave him the guts, would he dare?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s face became uncomfortable.

Xu Linda chuckled, “Of course not! Gao Ge’s asking for trouble!”

She smiled, and Lu Rangchen also smirked, glancing at Zhu Yunque, asking for her opinion, “But it’s all up to you. We can go if you want, or not if you don’t.”

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Zhu Yunque’s cheek.

Completely ignoring Xu Linda’s feelings, they were showering each other with affection.

For a moment, Zhu Yunque was genuinely tempted, tempted to see her old classmates, or perhaps to see how other people’s weddings were held.

However, upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Zhu Yunque changed her mind again.

She handed the pre-prepared red envelope to Xu Linda, saying, “Please give this to Zhao Qijia for me; I won’t give it to him myself.”

Xu Linda sighed and could only agree.

Unexpectedly, before she even went inside, Zhao Qijia saw Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque and hurriedly came to greet them. It had been quite a few years since they last met.

The moment Lu Rangchen saw Zhao Qijia, his brow furrowed slightly, and his arm around Zhu Yunque tightened.

Zhu Yunque, on the other hand, looked at the formally dressed Zhao Qijia with surprise and asked, “Why are you out?”

Zhao Qijia smiled and said, “I just came out to buy some cigarettes. I saw you guys and came over.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Rangchen, then quickly looked at Zhu Yunque and asked, “Are you leaving?”

Zhu Yunque opened her lips, but before she could speak, Lu Rangchen interrupted her, a half-smile on his face, “What, you want us to come?”

Although Lu Rangchen’s sharp retorts from that night had already served as a warning, Zhao Qijia still smiled and said, “Of course I do. We’re all classmates, and Yunque even helped me out.”

He said, “Oh,” and added, “A few of our old teachers are here too. Yunque, don’t you want to go in and meet them?”

It had to be said, Zhao Qijia’s tone was quite sincere.

You could tell from his voice that he had long since let go and was completely innocent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have called Zhu Yunque for help.

Besides, it was almost dinnertime, time to eat.

Lu Rangchen wasn’t the type to hold grudges or dwell on the past. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow, glanced at Zhu Yunque, and said, “What do you think?”

Based on this girl’s usual personality, she probably wouldn’t have any objections.

So, Zhu Yunque gave him a determined look, then glanced at Zhao Qijia and said, “I’m sorry, I have something to do tonight; I really can’t get away.”

“What is it that’s so important?”

Zhao Qijia was a little confused, then remembered Gao Ge’s outburst yesterday, and suddenly said, “Oh, Gao Ge, right? It’s okay, I coaxed her last night, she’s come to her senses, you don’t need to worry about her, really, she’ll be happy to have another person.”

She’d gone to such lengths to persuade him.

It seemed there was really no reason to refuse.

Even Lu Rangchen squeezed her hand, his magnetic voice gentle, “Anyway, you’re free tonight; why don’t you go in and take a look? Just for the future—for our future wedding, as a reference.”

However, before he could finish the sentence, Zhu Yunque gave him a slightly annoyed look and said, “Who said you’re free tonight?”

“…”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her glare, managing a muffled laugh. He was just about to say, “What serious business could we possibly have between us?”

“It doesn’t matter whether we do it sooner or later.”

The next second, Zhu Yunque tilted her head back, frowned, and scolded him irritably, “It’s your birthday today, forgot?”

Lu Rangchen: “…”

You know what?

He really did forget.

Author’s Note:
To avoid being labeled as writing about female rivalry or something,
So let me explain, Gao Ge’s competitive nature is purely due to her inherent pride and her inability to compete with Zhu Yunque.
It’s not because of any man.
Xu Linda was also annoyed by her constant use of “Deng Zhe.”
Anyway, this is how they’ve always communicated since childhood: sometimes gentle, sometimes sharp-tongued, sometimes leaving the other red-faced.