⌈A payment code appeared on the screen.⌋
Orphan.
These two words felt like slaps across the faces of all the Shen family members.
The shame veil that Madam Shen had just barely pulled up in her heart was instantly ripped away.
Sitting in the audience, she looked up at Lu Ran on stage.
For a moment, it felt as though her soul had left her body; she even found the scene somewhat absurd.
Her son stood on stage, telling his mother below: “I am an orphan.”
Madam Shen felt a mix of absurdity and anger.
Her mind was filled with thoughts: Isn’t Lu Ran ever satisfied? What was he even doing at this funding conference?
At the same time, her eyes couldn’t help but scan Lu Ran.
It was as if she was seeing this son for the first time; her retina was continuously sending information to her brain.
Lu Ran’s hair had grown a bit long; why didn’t he get a haircut?
His clothes seemed old with frayed edges and the cuffs looked slightly torn.
The fabric didn’t look good either, appearing neither soft nor comfortable; such material would barely qualify as a rag in the Shen household.
With every detail she noticed, Madam Shen’s panic grew even more.
This was quickly followed by a familiar sense of shame-fueled anger.
It was all his own doing.
All of it!
Otherwise, why wasn’t her other son like this?
No matter how much her brain screamed in protest, the gaze of the people around her—fleeting but ever-present—brought back memories from many years ago.
That time when the whole family went on a trip.
They had run into some trouble on the road and she had had a huge fight with Shen Hongyuan.
She couldn’t remember the details of that incident anymore.
All she recalled was huddling in the RV, wallowing in self-pity, feeling like one of the children had come over to her, hugging her leg and saying something.
Madam Shen had yelled, “Get lost!”
The soft little bundle had paused for a moment, standing there and at a loss for what to do.
Later on, Madam Shen truly couldn’t remember.
It wasn’t until they arrived at the vacation villa that someone discovered the young master of the Shen family was missing.
The instant she heard that news, Madam Shen felt just like she did today as if everyone was pointing fingers at her incompetence with their gazes.
But thankfully…
A thought crossed Madam Shen’s mind, and she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the Shen family hadn’t disclosed Lu Ran’s identity.
Thankfully, no one knew about her relationship with Lu Ran.
Once Madam Shen composed herself and looked up again, the young man on stage had already stepped down.
Her taut nerves relaxed a bit.
At that moment, Madam Lin, who was sitting next to her, turned her head to look at Lu Ran as he walked off stage, then glanced at Madam Shen, saying, “How could you let that child come up here?”
Madam Shen’s heart, which had just settled, jumped abruptly. “What… what did you say?”
Madam Lin shot her a sidelong glance and chatted casually as if she were an experienced person: “In families like ours, we should always be magnanimous. Whatever happens at home is a family matter; it just looks bad if it spills out.”
Madam Shen’s mind was still muddled and she couldn’t comprehend what Madam Lin was hinting at.
Magnanimous?
Beside them, Shen Xingran, who had been listening, lowered his head in silence, clenching his fingers tightly.
He suddenly recalled the rumors he had inadvertently hinted at.
When Lu Ran had just returned to the Shen family…
Someone had asked about Lu Ran’s relationship with him.
Fearing that the identity of his adopted son status would be exposed, he had anxiously suggested that Lu Ran was merely Shen Hongyuan’s illegitimate child.
Once a lie was spoken, it had to be continuously repeated and reinforced.
But Shen Xingran had never imagined that one day, Lu Ran would openly confront him and Madam Shen in front of the public.
On the other side of the long table,
Ji Min sat quietly in his wheelchair, watching this ridiculous farce unfold.
The funding conference was lengthy.
There was a tea break arranged by the school halfway through.
Many students got up from their seats and strolled in the hallway or headed to the restroom.
Some of the bolder students directly went to the front to greet the representatives of the companies.
However, no one dared approach Ji Min, who was sitting in his wheelchair.
He emanated an aura that warned others to stay away, a natural pressure that weighed heavily on these students still sheltered in their ivory towers.
But Ji Min himself was oblivious to this pressure.
He furrowed his brow, looking up at the stage while lost in thought.
Nearby, someone was chatting casually: “I heard that… when did the Shen family fall to the point of needing their own bloodline to seek funding?”
Ji Min lowered his gaze.
He hadn’t specifically investigated Lu Ran’s identity, but there were only a few possibilities, and he had guessed quite accurately.
Butler Chen organized the student information in his hands.
He was not only Ji Min’s personal butler; strictly speaking, his title was assistant to the chairman. Therefore, he would attend such occasions to handle matters that Ji Min found inconvenient to manage himself.
After handing over the documents, Butler Chen glanced at the contemplative Ji Min, then followed his gaze.
He chuckled and teased, “Should we add this student, Lu Ran, to the list?”
“Ha.” Ji Min shifted his gaze, “I have no intention of doing charity, nor do I plan to get involved in the Shen family’s mess.”
Despite saying that, before the forms were submitted, Ji Min still stopped an assistant nearby.
He whispered, “Add a slot for my personal sponsorship.”
Butler Chen smiled.
Lu Ran’s major didn’t align with the direction set by the Ji family this time.
“A private sponsorship is indeed a good choice,” he said.
Ji Min didn’t feel awkward about changing his mind; he simply said in a low voice, “Let’s see how he chooses.”
Lu Ran didn’t rush to the front row to show familiarity.
He stepped out to the corridor to get some fresh air.
Not long after he stepped out, a person dressed as an assistant walked toward him and said, “Lu Ran, please come over for a moment. We’d like to discuss something related to funding with you.”
Lu Ran glanced in the direction the assistant indicated and saw Madam Shen standing alone by the door of an empty classroom.
He didn’t resist and followed the assistant over.
He entered the classroom and closed the door.
“You!” Madam Shen pointed at Lu Ran, her finger trembling with anger. “What was that you said on stage?”
Lu Ran leaned back slightly, avoiding Madam Shen’s finger.
He had, of course, seen Shen Xingran and Madam Shen but didn’t pay much attention.
From the very beginning, Lu Ran knew the Shen family would show up.
He also understood what their typical reaction would be upon seeing him.
Most likely, they would feel embarrassed.
But Lu Ran felt nothing at all.
Embarrassment?
That was something only worth considering when one was trying to fill their stomachs and preserve their lives.
Lu Ran had no idea whether he would experience another car accident a year later and end up lying in a dark hospital room.
He had no mood to ponder such things.
Moreover, the funding conference was a normal event held in universities.
Only the Shen family would feel embarrassed about it.
“What’s wrong with what I said?” Lu Ran retorted.
“What do you mean you’re an orphan?” Madam Shen vented her anger and panic. “Your father and I are still alive, aren’t we? Besides, we brought you back, didn’t we? What more could you want?”
“You’re right.” Lu Ran nodded.
He walked straight out, “So while everyone is still here, I’ll go clarify a few things.”
Madam Shen was momentarily confused. “Clarify what?”
“Of course, to clarify that my parents are both alive and have found me, but they refuse to acknowledge me. Not only do they refuse to provide me with living expenses and tuition, but they even ask me for rent,” Lu Ran replied.
As he spoke, he pulled open the door to the empty classroom and stepped into the corridor.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back and added, “And I should honestly tell them that my real mother is sitting in the audience right now.”
His words struck at Madam Shen’s soft spot.
Listening to Lu Ran, she felt her vision darken, almost fainting.
If Lu Ran revealed these things, the Shen family would truly lose all face.
Madam Shen initially thought Lu Ran was just playing around to attract her attention, but she didn’t expect him to genuinely walk toward the conference room.
Madam Shen panicked. “Quick! Stop him!”
At this moment, she didn’t care about etiquette or grace. She dashed forward and grabbed Lu Ran’s hand.
Lu Ran turned around, looking at her with a half-smile. “Madam, isn’t it inappropriate to tug like this?”
They were standing in the corridor.
With his remark, the passing students glanced over curiously.
Madam Shen’s smile froze on her face.
She quickly straightened her body and softened her tone, whispering to Lu Ran, “What do you want for you to give up on this funding conference?”
“What do you think?” Lu Ran asked.
Madam Shen replied, “You want the Shen family to officially acknowledge you? That’s already in the works. If you’re anxious, I can urge your father.”
She lowered her voice. “So, Ran Ran, can you please stop messing around?”
Lu Ran didn’t believe the sweet promises she was making.
“You’re overthinking it.” Lu Ran looked down at the woman before him.
He looked at his mother.
He smiled faintly and said, “I’m just an ordinary orphan wanting to sign a normal funding contract with a company, graduate properly, and then work to pay off my debts. That’s all.”
Saying this, he broke free from Madam Shen’s grip and walked toward the conference room alone.
Lu Ran’s expression was calm and his mood was equally serene.
It was as quiet as when he lay in a hospital bed in his past life, staring quietly at the ceiling.
Until he reached the corner and unexpectedly bumped into Ji Min, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
Lu Ran: “…”
He instinctively looked up and glanced behind Ji Min.
“Uncle Chen is still in the conference room,” Ji Min said.
“Oh.” Lu Ran acknowledged.
Students in the corridor gradually returned to the conference room and the surroundings began to quiet down.
Ji Min looked past the railing down at the teaching building.
Lu Ran walked past him.
“Nice calculations,” Ji Min said suddenly.
Lu Ran abruptly stopped.
Ji Min half-closed his eyes, his voice flat and low. “Forcing the Shen family to sign a funding contract in this setting not only guarantees your living expenses for the next four years at university but also allows for a smooth transition into the Shen family business after graduation.”
“Once you’re in Shen’s, your status will be more valuable and there will be more options available to you.”
Lu Ran slowly clenched his fists.
Ji Min was right.
At first, he really only wanted to find a funding source.
But after careful consideration, he realized that if the Shen family intervened, no company would want him.
Thus, for this funding conference, what Lu Ran had his sights set on was the Shen family.
“How did you eavesdrop on my conversation?” Lu Ran complained, lowering his head.
“I don’t have that habit,” Ji Min replied.
Lu Ran: “…”
So he was just guessing.
The clever plan Lu Ran had painstakingly devised was merely a little trick that the man saw through at a glance.
“What… do you want?” Lu Ran asked, somewhat defensively.
Ji Min suddenly withdrew his gaze from downstairs and looked at him sideways.
He should have been celebrating a victory.
But the boy appeared as dejected as a frostbitten eggplant, showing no hint of joy, his demeanor emanating a profound silence.
“Lu Ran.”
He unexpectedly called the boy’s name.
But the boy didn’t crouch down and look up at him like he had in the car that day.
Instead, he stood in the corridor, a distance neither far nor near, slightly turning his head, casting a faint glance from the corner of his eye.
“I’ll send you abroad,” Ji Min said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the wary Lu Ran suddenly widened his eyes in surprise.
“In the Shen family, you can’t outmatch Shen Xingyu. Once you leave the Shen family, you can live well on your own abilities. Don’t covet what doesn’t belong to you.”
That was all Ji Min had to say.
He wasn’t someone who liked to meddle in others’ affairs and he had no particular fondness for illegitimate children.
Saying so much was already quite unusual for him.
Hearing his words, the surprise in the boy’s eyes gradually faded.
He returned to his usual calm demeanor.
A hint of an ambiguous smile tugged at his lips as he softly repeated, “What doesn’t belong to me?”
Ji Min found the smile on the boy’s face somewhat glaring.
He felt a bit fatigued and blinked his eyes.
When he opened them again, he found a smartphone screen pushed right in front of him.
The screen displayed a payment code.
The person who had just been a distance away was now squatting beside his wheelchair, looking at him with bright black eyes:
“No need to send me abroad; that would be too troublesome. Just give me the cash instead.”
Ji Min: “…”
“Is my money that easy to earn?” he scoffed coldly.
“Not giving it?” Lu Ran stared at him. “Then what are you talking about?”
With that, he put away the payment code, cursing as he stood up and left.
