Young Brave Hearts – CH 103

Chapter 103: Happy Birthday 02

◎ “My wife, of course, deserves the best.” ◎

“…”

For some reason, although the words sounded quite proper, coming from Lu Rangchen’s mouth, they carried a hint of lewdness.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat.

Her first reaction was to slap Lu Rangchen’s large hand off her waist, but this man was too adept at pushing his luck. Seeing this, he simply tightened his grip on her waist and leaned in to kiss her again.

Even though he had shaved clean, it was still a man’s stubble.

The touch was hard and itchy, and his lips and tongue were so skilled, making her feel itchy all over, quite bewitching.

They kissed like this, breathless, for two rounds.

Zhu Yunque couldn’t breathe properly.

She could only push him away, pleading, “No, really no… you’ll break me.”

Lu Rangchen was charmed by her appearance, his chin resting on her thin shoulder as he chuckled softly, his shoulders shaking with laughter, his demeanor utterly mischievous.

While laughing, he said, “How could I break you? I’m too busy taking care of you.”

He had that kind of magic.

A few words were enough to make Zhu Yunque’s heart race, but it was no use saying anything. Zhu Yunque forbade him to kiss her again, and besides, Lu Rangchen had to go to the club the next day to oversee an event; if this continued, he really wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

It also made him realize the “seriousness of the problem.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled lazily, finally calming down, and obediently held her, preparing to sleep, coaxing her, “What do you mean by ‘break’? You’re still so young; I was just scaring you.”

“…”

What did he mean by “still young”? In two years, she’d be almost thirty.

As Old Liu would say, late marriage and late childbirth were common now, but even so, Lu Rangchen still treated her like the young girl he once knew.

Zhu Yunque’s heart was unconsciously filled with warmth, and her lips pursed slightly.

It had to be said.

Expensive hotels were expensive for a reason.

Whether it was the indoor air quality, the noise level, or the bedding, everything was far better than in ordinary hotels.

But for some reason, Zhu Yunque was now wide awake. After a long silence, she realized Lu Rangchen wasn’t asleep either, so she softly asked, “So, all these years, no one has ever proactively celebrated your birthday?”

Lu Rangchen lazily smiled, deliberately keeping his eyes closed as he replied softly, “Yes.”

Zhu Yunque asked, “Your suitors?”

Perhaps her jealousy was too obvious at that moment, because Lu Rangchen let out a muffled chuckle, opening his eyes to look at her with doting affection, and said, “If I tell you the truth, will you hit me?”

“…”

She definitely wouldn’t hit him; at most, she’d be unhappy for a while.

But even if she was unhappy, Zhu Yunque still wanted to know, stemming from her deep-seated possessiveness.

She just wanted to know if, besides her, there had ever been any other girls in Lu Rangchen’s life who had left a deep impression on him, or if he had experienced a birthday as memorable as this.

So she shook her head and said, “I won’t hit you. Go ahead and tell me.”

For some reason, Lu Rangchen just found her incredibly adorable that night.

So adorable that he wanted to devour her whole.

Yet her eyes remained so pure and innocent, making him unable to bear teasing her any longer.

After a moment’s consideration, Lu Rangchen finally told the truth: “Just some girls who used to want to pursue me.”

Their eyes met.

Lu Rangchen’s eyes brimmed with love as he gazed at her, almost overflowing.

Zhu Yunque’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she asked, “And then? You ignored them?”

Lu Rangchen smiled. “Why would I bother with someone I don’t like?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Am I some kind of casual person?”

These words, coming from him, were arrogant and irritating but undeniably true.

Ever since puberty, the girls around him had become increasingly direct, each finding a unique way to approach him, let alone on occasions like his birthday.

Many times, girls had meticulously prepared birthday gifts for Lu Rangchen, sending them through intermediaries, only to be met with his cold, blunt rejection, saying he didn’t celebrate birthdays.

After hearing him say that, Zhu Yunque’s lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lu Rangchen, with a smile, said, “But it’s different now. With you here, I enjoy celebrating my birthday.”

Zhu Yunque looked at him. “Can I celebrate it with you next year, too?”

“Why not?” Lu Rangchen smiled. “I’d be more than happy to.”

But Zhu Yunque looked directly at him and said, “But that’s not what I meant. I meant, have you really let go?”

Her voice was soft, yet it reached the softest spot in Lu Rangchen’s heart.

She said, “Lu Rangchen, I hope you can let go. You should let go. So many years have passed. Her leaving wasn’t your fault.”

Lu Zhitao’s departure was never Lu Rangchen’s fault.

For so many years, no one had ever said such things to him, preferring him to silently bear the shackles.

No one had ever cared for him like this.

How could Lu Rangchen remain unmoved?

The person he loved most said the most heartwarming and touching words to him, enough to make him silent for a long time.

And in those silent seconds… Zhu Yunque looked directly into his eyes, her gaze clear and untainted. She wasn’t comforting him but earnestly and firmly stating this established fact—

He didn’t need to live with guilt.

That wasn’t a shackle for him.

They gazed at each other silently for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, his turbulent emotions calmed, and Lu Rangchen gently curved his lips into a smile, his voice deep and resonant, “I know, my dear wife.”

As he spoke, he leaned down and lightly pecked her lips.

Without any lust.

Just giving her the most tender and affectionate response, responding to her worry and concern, responding to her best love.

Lu Rangchen nuzzled his nose against hers, promising, “I won’t make you worry anymore.”

…

In short.

Lu Rangchen had a very good birthday.

The next day, he even received a new pair of shoes that Zhu Yunque had chosen for him, a limited edition from his usual brand. He was always a shoe addict, rarely wearing the same outfit twice, but because that particular pair of shoes was a gift from Zhu Yunque, he kept wearing them.

Later, Zhu Yunque couldn’t stand it anymore and complained, so Lu Rangchen sent the shoes for maintenance and then carefully stored them away in his walk-in closet.

October arrived.

Another National Day holiday came.

Originally, Lu Rangchen planned to take Zhu Yunque on a trip, but since she was teaching senior high school students, she had very little vacation time and couldn’t travel. Lu Rangchen could only accompany her, and they didn’t go anywhere.

Perhaps that period was indeed auspicious for weddings.

Not only were people who were Zhu Yunque’s acquaintances getting married, but Zhou Jin and Li Tie also held their wedding during the National Day holiday.

Li Tie finally reaped the rewards of his hard work, choosing the best hotel possible to give Zhou Jin a grand wedding.

So many years of friendship.

How could Lu Rangchen possibly mistreat them? He gave them not only generous red envelopes but also a set of expensive home furnishings.

Besides him and Zhu Yunque, Lin Zhi and Xie Han were also present.

Lin Zhi and Zhou Jin had a good relationship, so her presence was expected.

What Zhu Yunque didn’t expect was Xie Han.

After not seeing him for several days, the man still had that impeccably dressed, dissolute young master look, but he seemed more tired than usual, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain.

Lin Zhi was even more so.

Although she was still dressed as elegantly and as dignified as before, she clearly looked unhappy.

There was no one she knew around, so she couldn’t say a word.

Just then, Zhu Yunque decided to stay and help Zhou Jin.

Thinking that Lin Zhi was sitting alone outside, looking lonely, Zhu Yunque asked Lu Rangchen to go and check on her.

Lu Rangchen, pushed along by her, laughed and said, “Zhu Yunque, you’re not appreciating what you’ve got; you’re even pushing your husband away?”

Zhu Yunque smiled irritably and said, “You two have known each other for so many years; what do I have to worry about?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her, deliberately being coy. “Then who was it that kept asking me if I would marry her in the future?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s cheeks flushed at his teasing.

Just as she was about to get angry, Lu Rangchen laughed instead. Ignoring the people around them, he reached out and pinched her cheek shamelessly, saying, “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I know you love me the most.”

If there weren’t so many people around, he would definitely lean down and kiss her right now.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat from his teasing. She could only feign disgust and push him out, saying, “You should go now; I need to help Zhou Jin change her clothes.”

“Okay.”

Lu Rangchen readily agreed, then went to find Lin Zhi with a smile.

Zhu Yunque stayed in the private room, helping Zhou Jin with her preparations.

It was only then that Zhou Jin told her what was going on between Lin Zhi and Xie Han and why Xie Han had come today.

Zhou Jin lowered her voice and said, “Didn’t Lin Zhi always say that her family had arranged a blind date for her, someone she didn’t know? Just a few days ago, she finally found out who it was.”

Zhu Yunque’s breath hitched slightly, and an exaggerated thought popped into her head: “…It couldn’t be Xie Han, could it?”

Zhou Jin exclaimed excitedly, “It’s not Xie Han! It’s his brother!!! Lin Zhi is going to be his sister-in-law!!!”

“…”

Zhu Yunque choked up instantly, not knowing what to say.

She had expected their relationship to develop dramatically, but she never imagined it would be this dramatic.

She was almost at the point of laughing and crying at the same time.

Zhou Jin was also bursting with frustration; finally, she had someone to confide in, so she immediately poured out the whole story.

In short, Lin Zhi and Xie Han had slept together a lot and developed real feelings for each other. Lin Zhi wanted to develop a serious relationship with Xie Han, but Xie Han hesitated and lacked the courage. They were about to break up when she found out that Lin Zhi was going to be Xie Han’s sister-in-law.

If Lin Zhi were marrying someone else, it wouldn’t be so bad; they could simply never see each other again.

But this person was Xie Han’s older brother.

They would be family members who saw each other constantly from now on. Who could stand that?

Zhou Jin shook her head and sighed, “Sigh, I feel so sorry for Lin Zhi. It’s rare to see her so fond of a man.”

“That Xie Han is really something; he has no backbone at all. His woman is practically someone else’s wife!!!”

Zhu Yunque really had no experience in this area.

Thinking it over, all she could ask was, “So what’s the situation now? I saw Xie Han came today.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect Xie Han to actually come.”

Zhou Jin blinked in surprise. “You said he and Lin Zhi are close, but he doesn’t have much interaction with Li Tie or me. Their relationship is so strained now, and he still came. Do you think he’s deliberately trying to say something to Lin Zhi?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque shrugged and said, “I’m not really sure.”

Zhou Jin’s curiosity clearly didn’t stop there. She pressed, “And what do you know of Xie Han?”

Zhu Yunque was both amused and exasperated. “I don’t know him very well.”

Zhou Jin took her arm and said, “It’s okay, I won’t tell Lu Rangchen. Just tell me, and we’ll consider this an analysis for Lin Zhi.”

These words felt like a knife to her throat.

Zhu Yunque was in a bind.

Besides, Zhou Jin was the bride today, and Zhu Yunque couldn’t very well refuse.

After a moment’s thought, she could only say, “Based on my understanding of Xie Han, he rarely takes the initiative with women; usually, other women throw themselves at him.”

Zhou Jin added, “And then? Does he have many casual sex partners? Has any of them ever become his girlfriend?”

Zhu Yunque’s eyes flickered.

Only now did she understand why Zhou Jin had specifically asked her to come and help.

It turned out it was to help Lin Zhi gather intelligence.

But thinking about it carefully…

If it were her, she would also help Lin Zhi analyze the situation.

So Zhu Yunque thought about it seriously again and said, “I remember him telling me that he’s a scumbag but not promiscuous. He probably hasn’t had that kind of relationship before; he just has a lot of girlfriends and changes them quickly.”

“Like with Lin Zhi, maintaining a relationship for so long is indeed rare, or rather, this is the first time.”

“As for why he came today, I don’t know. Maybe he just wanted to offer his blessings.”

Zhou Jin said, “Is it possible that he’d cut ties with his brother for Lin Zhi and steal her away???”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s eyebrows twitched. “Your question is beyond my comprehension.”

Hearing her say that, Zhou Jin’s shoulders finally relaxed. She said, “That’s true. You two haven’t even dated; how could you know so much?”

She probably also realized that asking her was a bit outrageous.

Zhou Jin finally stopped pressing her with questions.

Later, the wedding began. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhu Yunque went back to the audience to find Lu Rangchen.

By then, Lu Rangchen had already been talking with Lin Zhi for quite a while.

On such a joyous day, instead of improving her mood, he had made Lin Zhi cry.

This scene made Zhu Yunque feel slightly awkward when she came over.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, took her hand, and pulled her to sit to his right. “We’re all family.”

Though he said this, Lin Zhi didn’t see it that way. She genuinely felt ashamed of being heartbroken and even more afraid that she would cry in public and ruin her makeup, which Xie Han would see. So she quickly grabbed her bag and went to the restroom.

As soon as she left, Xie Han, sitting at another table, couldn’t help but look at her.

That hesitant yet somewhat sincere look was something Zhu Yunque had never seen before.

Zhu Yunque silently watched for a moment, then heard Lu Rangchen say playfully and lightly, “Want to try making a bet?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque was slightly taken aback, turning to look at him. “What kind of bet?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her. “Whether these two can get together.”

“You think they can?”

“Of course they can; why not?”

Lu Rangchen said with a half-smile and a meaningful tone, “You’ve experienced a man’s possessiveness before.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

That wasn’t untrue; she had indeed experienced it, and more than once.

In fact, Lu Rangchen had only begun to realize his feelings for her because Zhao Qijia had become too close to her.

Regardless, Zhu Yunque still hoped that Lin Zhi could get what she wanted.

Otherwise, it would be too painful for the two of them.

But ultimately, this was someone else’s business; Lu Rangchen and she didn’t need to worry about it.

Instead, after the wedding, Zhou Jin and Li Tie started urging Lu Rangchen, asking him when he and Zhu Yunque would hold their wedding ceremony.

Perhaps because she’d been too busy lately, simply too preoccupied to think about it, Zhu Yunque hadn’t given it much thought. She figured since they were already married, the wedding wasn’t urgent.

But her lack of urgency didn’t mean those around her weren’t.

One evening, while Lu Rangchen was keeping her company in the study as she “worked overtime,” he suddenly mentioned that several elders from the Cheng family had been asking when the couple would hold their wedding.

Zhu Yunque was grading papers.

Upon hearing this, her pen froze.

Under the warm yellow light, she looked at Lu Rangchen in disbelief. Her usually indifferent face actually shuddered, and she said incredulously, “The Cheng family?”

Lu Rangchen was reading a random book from her bookshelf.

It has to be said, Zhu Yunque was quite interesting.

Compared to her physical appearance, her soul was noticeably more childlike and endearing. For example, her bookshelf wasn’t filled with literary classics; a large portion of it consisted of action-packed shonen manga, both domestic and foreign.

Several times, Lu Rangchen thought she was secretly studying in her study, but each time he came in, she was reading manga.

So, over time, Lu Rangchen started reading with her, sometimes even discussing plot points with her.

That feeling of soulmates, deeper than physical or emotional bonds, intrigued Lu Rangchen. But what intrigued him even more was Zhu Yunque’s immediate reaction.

Lu Rangchen lay leisurely on the tatami mat in his study, one hand behind his head, chuckling casually. “What, is it strange?”

“…”

Strange? More than strange.

It was simply unbelievable.

Zhu Yunque still vividly remembered the scene when Cheng Fusen had come to see her with a grand display, accompanied by his assistant and bodyguards.

She frowned and said, “Are you referring to your grandfather?”

Lu Rangchen replied nonchalantly, “He’s in poor health and can’t manage much. It’s my aunts and uncles.”

Although they were just aunts and uncles, they represented the entire Cheng family.

After all, one of the elderly men was deceased, and the other was bedridden.

They had initially disapproved of Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque being together, but so many years had passed, and the two were married; they couldn’t interfere even if they wanted to.

Anyway, things were already like this, and no one wanted to upset Lu Rangchen.

Especially during family gatherings.

Lu Rangchen was always distracted, eager to get home.

Cheng Liru was naturally unhappy, but what could she say? He was a married man.

The others had also tried to persuade her.

They said things couldn’t go on like this; they couldn’t just ignore their son after he got married.

Lu Rangchen knew they were secretly trying to talk Cheng Liru out of it, but he was quite open-minded and spoke frankly, “Don’t force my mother to accept it. She’ll remember those things for the rest of her life; that’s understandable. I understand her.”

“As for Queque,” Lu Rangchen said with a calm smile, “she doesn’t care.”

“…”

“Both she and I just want to live a peaceful life.”

His words left everyone exchanging bewildered glances.

It made Cheng Liru seem pretentious and aloof. The once dignified and elegant woman was so angry that she lost her appetite, put down her chopsticks, turned around, and went upstairs.

Later, Cheng Qinfang came over to criticize Lu Rangchen, saying, “You brat, you really don’t give your mother any face when you talk!”

Lu Rangchen was helpless and said with a slightly aggrieved smile, “She doesn’t want to accept her, so I won’t let her accept her. Isn’t that perfect?”

“Perfect what?”

Cheng Qinfang was so angry she almost hit him. “Can’t you have your wife come over and say some nice words to make your mother feel better? Then they can happily become a family, and you can give her a few grandchildren. Wouldn’t everything be perfect then?”

These words sounded reasonable to anyone.

However, Lu Rangchen was used to being unconventional and extremely protective of his own.

His first reaction upon hearing this was a snort and a retort, “My wife hasn’t done anything wrong; why should she come here and be subservient?”

These words left Cheng Qinfang momentarily stunned.

The woman opened her lips dryly, as if dumbfounded by the retort.

“And have a grandson.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled again. “What era are we living in? Still favoring sons over daughters? You’re supposed to be a highly educated person; don’t you feel ashamed?”

These light sentences instantly made the atmosphere at the table visibly awkward.

The expressions on the faces of the elders varied greatly—some frowned, some looked helpless, and some were already suppressing their anger.

But Lu Rangchen…

They could never do anything about him.

From childhood to adulthood, he was like an eagle soaring freely in the vast blue sky; even a wealthy family like the Cheng family couldn’t truly confine him.

He wanted nothing.

He could get what he wanted through his own efforts.

Therefore, no one in the Cheng family could truly overpower him, and he wouldn’t listen to anyone.

Finally, Lu Rangchen’s cousin, Cheng Tang, quickly intervened, laughing, “Hey, stop arguing! I’ll have a grandson for the Cheng family next time! I can have one!”

With his intervention, the atmosphere finally eased that day.

Even so, Lu Rangchen didn’t stay long, leaving after the meal.

Another uncle called him back at the door, wanting to say a few more words.

This uncle was the closest to him among the elders. His main point was simply to tell Lu Rangchen not to take their words to heart; everyone meant well, and that no matter what, they would be family in the future.

Of course, he also brought up the wedding.

But from Zhu Yunque’s perspective.

His point was that since he was marrying her, he should give her the respect she deserved; they couldn’t just keep not having a wedding.

Because of his words, Lu Rangchen decided to discuss the wedding arrangements with Zhu Yunque after his return.

The outcome was as he expected.

Besides being surprised, Zhu Yunque was also worried about Cheng Liru.

Lu Rangchen, however, remained as open-minded as ever. He said, “We’ll do our own thing. She can come if she wants, or not if she doesn’t. We won’t force each other.”

As he spoke, he put down his book, came up behind Zhu Yunque, bent down, gently embraced her, and kissed her forehead, saying, “The most important thing is what you think.”

“…”

“You saw Zhou Jin in a wedding dress,” Lu Rangchen’s lips curled slightly, “and you don’t want one either?”

These words hit the bullseye.

Any girl who loves beauty would be captivated by a wedding dress, let alone Zhu Yunque, who was already married to Lu Rangchen.

However, more than seeing herself in a wedding dress, Zhu Yunque seemed to want to see Lu Rangchen in a sharp suit as a groom.

She really couldn’t imagine what the usually lazy and arrogant man would look like in that suit.

Perhaps he would look even more handsome?

Her thoughts began to wander.

Zhu Yunque involuntarily looked at Lu Rangchen and said, “And you, what do you think?”

“Me?”

Lu Rangchen drawled, “Would you believe me if I said I’ve wanted to have a wedding for a long time?”

Zhu Yunque choked slightly, truly not expecting Lu Rangchen to have this idea.

She thought he would find weddings as troublesome as she did.

Lu Rangchen gently pinched her chin and said, “Even though we’ve registered our marriage, it feels different from actually having a wedding, doesn’t it?”

As he spoke, a smile curved his thin lips, as gentle as a spring breeze, “Queque.”

“I want to see you in a wedding dress for me.”

…

It had to be admitted that often, all it took to move someone was a single sentence.

Just like that night, when Lu Rangchen said he wanted to see her in a wedding dress, Zhu Yunque truly wavered.

It was almost hasty.

The two decided to have a wedding right then and there.

Of course, a wedding wasn’t something that could be done casually; it required many steps.

For example, setting a date, finding a wedding planning company, and designing the wedding.

Then came choosing a wedding dress and jewelry.

Making invitations and wedding favors.

These miscellaneous things were a huge challenge for Zhu Yunque.

Lu Rangchen did the same.

So, without hesitation, he consulted Zhou Jin, who had just gotten married.

Coincidentally, Zhou Jin had a friend who worked in wedding planning, so she enthusiastically invited Zhu Yunque, Lu Rangchen, and her friends to dinner.

Ultimately, Zhu Yunque and Lu Rangchen both chose a lawn wedding.

Zhu Yunque reasoned that she didn’t have that many friends, and she was afraid it would be awkward to choose a hotel.

In contrast, Lu Rangchen’s reasoning was more practical.

He raised an eyebrow and gave Zhou Jin his simple and straightforward reason: “Lawn weddings are the most expensive overall.”

“…”

As he spoke, Lu Rangchen turned to look at Zhu Yunque, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips. “My wife, of course, deserves the best.”