⌈Did you know that he pushed me into the toilet?⌋
“Are you crazy?!” Lu Ran cursed, leading the dog back to his room.
On the second floor, Shen Xingran stood by the railing, feeling somewhat perplexed.
He heard Shen Xingzhuo bang at Lu Ran’s door. Shen Xingran hurried downstairs, thinking Shen Xingzhuo was finally going to cause trouble for Lu Ran.
From the looks of it, that seemed to be the case.
Lu Ran must have done something, as Shen Xingzhuo was in such a furious state.
Just as it seemed the two were about to fight, unexpectedly…
Shen Xingzhuo actually petted the dog a couple of times and just walked away?
Shen Xingran was filled with confusion.
Lu Ran glanced over towards the stairs.
Shen Xingran stiffened and quickly returned to the third floor.
He didn’t want to provoke Lu Ran.
Once back on the third floor, Shen Xingran continued to ponder Shen Xingzhuo’s actions.
He couldn’t figure out if Shen Xingzhuo was simply venting his anger or using the dog to threaten Lu Ran.
Shen Xingran guessed it was the latter.
He felt a bit pleased.
After dragging it out for so long, Shen Xingzhuo was finally going to take action.
But…
Recalling the entire process of Shen Xingzhuo and Lu Ran “arguing”, Shen Xingran felt like something was off.
Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
Shen Xingran waited for Shen Xingzhuo to continue troubling Lu Ran.
Days went by.
Lu Ran continued to walk in and out with that yellow dog.
Shen Xingzhuo did visit the Shen family more frequently. Every time he met Lu Ran, it was an argument.
But it felt more like playful banter.
The dog remained safe throughout.
Shen Xingran felt a bit anxious; he inexplicably had a sense of losing control.
He needed to do something to make Lu Ran suffer to regain his previous sense of control.
However, Shen Xingran still remembered “that meal” and Lu Ran’s two slaps.
He really didn’t want to confront Lu Ran head-on.
It seemed the same for Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen at home; they rarely stayed in the villa.
Over time, it felt like Lu Ran had become the master of the house.
After waiting a few more days, Shen Xingran couldn’t hold back any longer and took the initiative to visit Shen Xingzhuo’s residence.
Shen Xingzhuo lived in a large flat in the city center.
There was also a villa outside, used for parties.
Shen Xingzhuo treated him very well; his fingerprint had long been registered for the lock and most of the house was decorated according to his taste.
Returning here felt just like going home.
This time, as he entered, the electronic doorbell played Shen Xingzhuo’s recorded voice, just like usual.
“Welcome. The little prince of the Shen family has arrived!”
Shen Xingran chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease in his heart.
He plopped down onto the sofa, as he usually did.
In fact, staying at Shen Xingzhuo’s place felt more liberating than being in the Shen family villa.
This was because Shen Xingzhuo was more accommodating towards him.
He didn’t have to pretend to be obedient and sensible.
Shen Xingran casually glanced around.
Shen Xingzhuo didn’t like tidying up and also didn’t want to call for housekeepers, so the entire living room was in a mess, with delivery packaging scattered everywhere.
Just as Shen Xingran was about to call for housekeeping, something caught his eye in his peripheral vision, causing him to stop.
In the corner near the balcony, there was a small wooden house.
The color scheme was pretty and it looked quite exquisite.
Inside the little house, there was a thick and soft mat.
Shen Xingran walked over in confusion.
“What is this? A new type of building block?”
He looked again and noticed a large plastic tray nearby, topped with a layer of hollow grid partitions.
Shen Xingran turned around in circles, not understanding what Shen Xingzhuo was up to.
It was only when he saw a small wooden sign hanging on the door of the wooden house, with a black paw print printed on it, that he suddenly stood up.
He realized this was a doghouse.
The plastic tray next to it was a dog toilet.
Shen Xingran was pondering why Shen Xingzhuo would set these up.
Was it really that troublesome for him to kill a dog?
He sat back down on the sofa in a daze, but as soon as he sat down, he felt a sudden pain in his butt.
Shen Xingran stood up and saw a pet comb lying in the corner of the sofa.
So many unfamiliar and unlikable items had suddenly appeared in this space he thought belonged to him.
This made Shen Xingran very dissatisfied.
It felt just like when Lu Ran returned to the Shen family.
Shen Xingran took a deep breath but still couldn’t help himself. He stood up and piled the comb, the doghouse, and all the other pet supplies onto the balcony in one go.
Once he vented his frustration, he calmed down again.
Recalling the purpose of his visit today, he called for housekeeping and also ordered takeout.
Before long, Shen Xingzhuo returned.
The takeout had already been placed on the table.
Shen Xingran acted as if he hadn’t noticed anything. As usual, he turned to Shen Xingzhuo with enthusiasm, waving his hand, “Bro! Come here quickly, I ordered your favorite spicy chicken!”
“Oh, what a rare guest! You thought to come see me today?”
Shen Xingzhuo seemed quite pleased.
Ranran is not like some people.
Spending his money and wouldn’t even say a kind word.
Shen Xingran pulled Shen Xingzhuo to sit down. “Come on! I’ve been starving waiting for you to eat; I almost died looking at this table full of food.”
“If you’re hungry, just eat first. What are you waiting for?”
Shen Xingzhuo went to wash his hands and returned to sit beside Shen Xingran.
At that moment, a completely unrelated thought flashed through his mind: it seemed like Lu Ran didn’t know where he lived.
Seeing the doghouse and dog toilet he had prepared, he wondered if Lu Ran would want to bring Da Huang over.
After thinking that, Shen Xingzhuo felt a bit crazy.
Why would he want that guy to come over? To scam him or to argue?
At that moment, Shen Xingran was saying something, but Shen Xingzhuo was distracted, only catching snippets: “Lu Ran…”
“Don’t bring him up,” Shen Xingzhuo said irritably.
Shen Xingran was taken aback.
The tone sounded disdainful, but he still felt…
“Alright, didn’t you say you were hungry? Let’s eat quickly.” Shen Xingzhuo changed the subject.
“Mm.” Shen Xingran smiled, picking up a piece of food, his mind racing.
After pondering for a while, he didn’t ask about the doghouse but instead inquired, “Bro, I heard Lin Yi got into some trouble. What happened? You were there that night, right?”
Shen Xingzhuo paused in his movements.
He immediately thought of Lin Yi’s tragic experience and that extremely long bill.
The food in his mouth suddenly felt difficult to swallow.
He usually wouldn’t hide anything from Shen Xingran. However, when he looked up to meet Shen Xingran’s gaze, he hesitated slightly.
Shen Xingzhuo lowered his eyes and smiled, asking, “Why are you asking about this? Don’t you dislike Lin Yi? Isn’t it better that he’s in trouble?”
“Bro! Just tell me! I want to know how he got into trouble.” Shen Xingran pouted while shaking Shen Xingzhuo’s arm playfully.
Shen Xingzhuo was indeed a bit hungry.
If they started talking, he might as well forget about eating.
He glanced at Shen Xingran, who had only moved his chopsticks twice, wondering how he could look like he had been waiting for so long and was about to starve.
“Basically, he was looking for trouble and didn’t expect to get countered,” Shen Xingzhuo said vaguely.
“Who’s that strong, even not caring about the Zhang family?” Shen Xingran asked with interest.
Shen Xingzhuo licked his teeth but didn’t answer.
He picked up a piece of food for Shen Xingran and asked, “Didn’t you say you were hungry? Why aren’t you eating?”
Seeing he couldn’t get anything out of him, Shen Xingran felt extremely frustrated.
He glanced at the doghouse on the balcony but held back his outburst.
After leaving Shen Xingzhuo’s place, Shen Xingran felt a bit heavy-hearted.
He hadn’t gone with Shen Xingzhuo that day and later asked other people about what happened that night.
But for some reason, everyone who went to the club that night seemed frightened.
They wouldn’t mention anything about what happened that evening.
Looking at the time, Shen Xingran had the driver take him to the Lin family’s house.
He arrived just in time.
As soon as he stepped through the Lin family’s front door, he heard Lin Yi’s roar: “Get lost!”
Mixed in with that were the sounds of things being thrown and smashed.
Shen Xingran was startled.
He had only heard that something had happened to Lin Yi, but he didn’t expect it to make Lin Yi so furious.
At that moment, Madam Lin walked over.
Shen Xingran quickly put on a well-behaved demeanor in front of an elder. “Aunt Lin, I heard something happened to Xiao Yi, so I came to see him.”
As soon as he said that, Madam Lin’s expression became strange for a moment. After sizing him up, she said, “Ranran, you quickly go and talk to Xiao Yi.”
“What’s wrong with Lin Yi?” Shen Xingran asked tentatively.
Madam Lin seemed troubled as well. “No one in the family can get him to talk; if you ask too much, he throws a tantrum and breaks things.”
Hearing this made Shen Xingran curious.
He smiled at Madam Lin and walked upstairs.
“Lin Yi?”
As he pushed open Lin Yi’s bedroom door, he saw the person sitting on the bed looking at him.
Seemingly recognizing who he was, Lin Yi suddenly lunged at him, “I’m going to kill you!”
Shen Xingran quickly blocked him. “It’s me, Lin Yi! I’m Shen Xingran!”
“The one I want to kill is you!” Lin Yi reached out to strangle Shen Xingran’s neck.
The two wrestled for a while, and Lin Yi shouted, “Lu Ran is one of your Shen family, right? All Shen family members can go die!”
Shen Xingran almost suffocated from Lin Yi’s grip.
Hearing the name Lu Ran, he suddenly snapped to attention.
Is it Lu Ran?
His mind went blank for a moment.
He hadn’t expected Lu Ran to have the guts to provoke Lin Yi, who was backed by the Zhang family. No wonder Madam Lin had a peculiar look when she glanced at him earlier.
He was also wondering why, if this was trouble caused by Lu Ran… Shen Xingzhuo was keeping it from him and didn’t tell him?
Seeing Lin Yi lunge at him again, Shen Xingran hurriedly said, “I also hate Lu Ran! What kind of Shen family member is he!”
Only then did Lin Yi stop and stare at him.
“Lu Ran also bothers me every day,” Shen Xingran said.
Lin Yi suddenly collapsed, holding his head. “How can he bother you? He actually pinned me in the bathroom, did you know that?!”
Shen Xingran was taken aback.
What? The bathroom?
Lin Yi realized he had let something slip and immediately shut his mouth.
Shen Xingran never expected that Lu Ran would not only mess around at home but would also do something like this outside.
Was he crazy?
Shen Xingran wanted to comfort Lin Yi and reached out his hand, but thinking about what Lin Yi had gone through, he retracted it.
“Uh… the bathroom in the club is really clean, right?” he said, trying to console him.
But it sounded off no matter how he phrased it.
“You better not tell anyone!” Lin Yi shouted, “Get out, right now!”
Naturally, Shen Xingran didn’t want to give up on Lin Yi as an ally.
Both he and Lin Yi were at odds with Lu Ran.
Lin Yi was also backed by the Zhang family, which was an asset he didn’t want to waste.
“Actually… I was also…” Shen Xingran struggled to say.
“What happened to you?” Lin Yi asked.
After hesitating for a while, Shen Xingran still didn’t mention what had happened in the Shen family’s dining room.
He only said, “I’ve been put in difficult situations by him too…”
After comforting Lin Yi for a while, he finally calmed down.
“This can’t just be left like this,” Shen Xingran said.
“What can we do? I can’t just kill him!” Lin Yi replied.
Shen Xingran lowered his gaze and thought for a moment. “What about Zhang Lin? Isn’t your fiance supposed to help you?”
“How can I let him know about this!” Lin Yi exclaimed, distressed.
If Zhang Lin found out, would he still be willing to hug him, kiss him, and marry him?
Lu Ran’s methods were particularly insidious, making people too afraid to speak out.
Others wouldn’t care what Lu Ran had done; they would only think about how Lin Yi was pinned down in the bathroom.
“No need to say that; just make up a reason, right?” Shen Xingran suggested.
Lin Yi was taken aback.
Shen Xingran continued to persuade him, “You’re Zhang Lin’s fiance. If you’re being bullied, he’ll definitely stand up for you. Why would you need any reason?”
Seeing that he had hit the nail on the head, a smile appeared in Shen Xingran’s eyes.
So what if Lu Ran was bold?
He had to maintain his image in the Shen family’s eyes, so he couldn’t openly deal with Lu Ran.
But since Lu Ran had offended the Zhang family, he deserved to be dealt with.
Moreover…
The Shen family was negotiating business with the Zhang family. If Shen Hongyuan found out what Lu Ran had done, he might be so angry that he would want to kill him.
While the two were talking, there was a knock at the door.
A woman’s voice came through, “Xiao Yi, Auntie is here to see you.”
“Uh-oh! It’s Madam Zhang!” Lin Yi immediately grabbed Shen Xingran’s hand.
