CFRFGC Chapter 43

⌈”If they close it, I’ll just get a sleeping bag and sleep at the gate.”⌋

Ji Min’s temples throbbed with suppressed anger.

“Explain yourself,” he said coldly.

Lu Ran argued back confidently, “This is a protective charm!”

Ji Min didn’t buy his flimsy excuse for a second. “Take it off.”

Lu Ran pointed at the photo on the pendant and said earnestly, “If the Shen family gets any ideas about my dog, I’ll just snap this pendant open and show them. Once they see your picture, they definitely won’t dare to touch him.”

Ji Min: “…”

That was a pretty good point.

“Suit yourself,” he replied.

Once called down, Lu Ran didn’t rush to leave.

There was still plenty of time left.

He settled down on a corner of the sofa, holding Da Huang, and looked up to ask Ji Min, “What time do you finish work every night?”

“Why?” Ji Min asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

He found it odd.

Lu Ran, who seemed to be so distant at first due to Ji Min’s disability and visibly bad temper, now seemed to have let down some of his psychological barriers.

Not only did he boldly ask for help with dog-sitting, but he had also audaciously printed Ji Min’s photo to attach to the dog’s collar, and now he even dared to inquire about his clock-out time.

It was as if…

Da Huang had grown tired of being held and jumped off Lu Ran’s lap, plopping down by Ji Min’s wheelchair.

Ji Min glanced down at the small dog at his feet, then lifted his gaze to the boy on the sofa.

It was like a once-suspicious stray dog that had grown accustomed to being fed, now wagging its tail and approaching him with a friendly demeanor.

“Because it seems like you get off work pretty late,” Lu Ran explained. “If you’re free, I’ll come by later to pick up Da Huang. That way, I can also find a side job in the evening.”

Ji Min instinctively furrowed his brows.

His gaze swept over Lu Ran’s noticeably undernourished frame, and he said in a low voice, “You finish work at seven already.”

“Right! It’s the New Year now and evening part-time wages are really good,” Lu Ran said, his eyes sparkling like an excited puppy discussing where to find food.

Ji Min’s movements paused for a moment.

Ji Min rubbed his fingers over his knuckles before casually giving a time, “Eleven o’clock.”

Lu Ran was taken aback, his face filled with concern.

How could someone who was already a boss still be working so late?

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there before eleven!” Lu Ran said, making an “okay” gesture before leaving.

True to his word, that night, he found a part-time job.

The boy was clearly busy.

Da Huang ended up spending more time in Ji Min’s office.

This seemed like a good thing for Ji Min.

During the long and dull working hours of the night, he would occasionally take a break and gaze at the little dog sleeping on the sofa.

When Da Huang got up to stretch, he would play fetch with him for a bit.

The little dog had been well trained; he would eagerly bring the ball back to Ji Min’s hand and wait for him to throw it.

This saved Ji Min from the awkwardness of bending over to pick up the ball while in his wheelchair.

However…

The boy who came to pick up the puppy in the evening didn’t seem to be in great shape.

Lu Ran rushed in, breathless.

Ji Min stopped throwing the ball and looked up.

“I’m not late, am I?” Lu Ran asked.

He had just finished something, and sweat glistened on his forehead.

Ji Min took a careful glance and noticed the faint shadow beneath the boy’s long eyelashes.

“Don’t come so late next time,” he said, shifting his gaze and speaking coldly.

“Okay, okay,” Lu Ran agreed, picking up Da Huang and leaving.

On the second and third days, Lu Ran did indeed come a bit earlier.

He still rushed in, sweating profusely in the cold weather.

Upon seeing him, Ji Min subtly frowned.

As the New Year approached and the weather grew colder, while others bundled up in thicker clothing, Lu Ran still wore the same two not-so-thick cotton jackets.

He couldn’t tell if the boy had lost a little more weight recently, but the clothes seemed to hang loosely on him.

A couple of days later, the faint shadow under the boy’s eyes had deepened considerably, taking on a weary dark hue.

That day, Ji Min watched the boy who should have been cozying up in a heated room during winter break and said nothing.

In the evening, as he sat on the way back in the car…

He suddenly recalled something and unexpectedly asked the driver, “How far is it to Jade Green Garden?”

Jade Green Garden was the villa area where the Shen family lived.

The driver was taken aback by the question.

However, he estimated and honestly replied, “About half an hour by car.”

Ji Min didn’t respond, seeming to just ask casually.

Half an hour by car meant it would take even longer to walk.

Carrying a dog, he probably didn’t want to take a taxi.

On this day, the weather was a bit cold.

When Lu Ran stepped out of the elevator, most of the warmth had dissipated from his body.

“Good evening,” he said as he pushed the door open and walked in.

Upon looking up, he met the man’s somewhat cold gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ran paused.

He scanned the office but couldn’t see anything amiss, so he tentatively asked, “Did Da Huang cause trouble?”

But Ji Min quickly shifted his gaze and replied, “He’s better behaved than you.”

Lu Ran: “…”

Lu Ran didn’t understand why the man seemed in a bad mood, so he bent down to pick up Da Huang.

The moment he lifted the dog, he suddenly heard the man coldly remind him, “Your hair.”

“Huh?” Lu Ran looked confused.

Ji Min’s gaze turned back to him and he clarified more precisely, “Your bangs.”

Lu Ran ran his hand through his hair, brushing off some ice shavings.

It was ice formed from the sweat that had soaked through.

He didn’t pay it much mind, wiped his hands dry, and thanked Ji Min before attempting to leave.

Just as he was about to step out of the office, the silent man suddenly spoke up, casually asking, “If you come back too late, will the Shen family lock the door?”

Lu Ran was taken aback for a moment, then he proudly replied, “I have experience with this!”

“If they lock the door, I’ll just set up a sleeping bag and tent at the front gate.”

Ji Min: “…”

He momentarily didn’t know whether to mock Lu Ran for this audacious plan or to be surprised that the Shen family would actually leave him outside.

But some slightly inappropriate invitations got stuck in his throat.

Ji Min waved his hand.

It was a signal for Lu Ran to hurry up and leave.

Lu Ran quickly complied and left.

Once he was gone, the man sitting at the desk pushed his wheelchair back a bit.

He rolled over to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked down.

Just in time, he saw the boy walking out of the Ji Corporation building while holding the dog.

As the glass door opened, the cold wind immediately caught Lu Ran off guard.

He took several steps back, hurriedly pulled the hood of his coat over his head, bent down to pick up the dog, and then dashed off down the road.

Ji Min stayed by the window for a while, watching as Lu Ran’s figure gradually disappeared.

He thought to himself, let him freeze to death.

The next day.

Lu Ran arrived at Ji Min’s office just after six.

“Rare visitor,” the man said, a bit surprised.

Lu Ran paused, looking over at him.

He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but something about the comment felt a bit sarcastic.

He came here every day; how could it be a rare visit?

The speaker seemed to notice the strange undertone in his tone, paused for a moment, and then asked in a steady voice, “What brings you here at this hour?”

“The coffee shop closed an hour early today, so I’m taking a break before I leave,” Lu Ran replied.

He had taken Da Huang out to use the restroom.

When he returned, he was rubbing Da Huang and secretly glancing at Ji Min.

The person behind the desk wore his usual cold expression.

His pale, gloomy face showed no emotion at all.

But Lu Ran felt like…

This person seemed a bit unhappy.

Lu Ran was actually quite sensitive to people’s emotions.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put up with so many grievances for the Shen family in his previous life.

It was the same now.

Most of the time, he took an attitude of “none of my business”.

But regarding Ji Min…

Lu Ran didn’t hesitate and directly asked, “Are you unhappy lately?”

Ji Min paused slightly in his actions.

He casually replied, “Why do you ask that?”

“Because you seem a bit unhappy,” Lu Ran said.

Ji Min finally lifted his head and looked over at him.

The boy was earnestly gazing up at him, saying, “Do you not like dogs or do you just not want to stay up late? You can tell me. I can take Da Huang away and keep him somewhere else.”

After a pause, he added, “Da Huang staying here is a favor you’re doing for me, so you don’t have to put yourself out.”

His tone was very serious.

The gaze directed at him carried the unique directness and clarity of youth.

It was a genuine concern that he might be feeling uncomfortable but was too shy to voice it.

Because that worry was so earnest and sincere, Ji Min couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Why did this kid think that someone of his standing would feel wronged?

“No,” Ji Min said.

“Hmm?” Lu Ran blinked twice.

Ji Min clarified, “What you said isn’t true.”

“Ah?” Lu Ran reacted, “Oh, if that’s the case, that’s good.”

The topic ended and the office fell silent once more.

Ji Min glanced at the time and opened his computer to start a brief international meeting.

After the meeting concluded, he realized the office had grown too quiet.

Ji Min looked up and discovered that Lu Ran was no longer there.

The office door was also closed.

At the same time, Da Huang was missing too.

Ji Min furrowed his brows; Lu Ran should still be going to his part-time job at this hour and wouldn’t have taken Da Huang.

This kid wouldn’t have…

Just as he was maneuvering his wheelchair out from behind the desk, a faint sound of scratching at the door caught his attention.

Ji Min approached, opened the door, and saw Da Huang standing outside.

His heart, which had been lightly tugged, eased a bit.

However, after the door opened, Da Huang didn’t come in right away; instead, he ran a few steps down the corridor.

Ji Min’s heart stirred and he followed after him.

After just a few steps, he saw the boy, who had just been lively, now quietly sitting against the wall.

His arms were still in the position of holding the little dog, but his head was tilted to the side, fast asleep.

Ji Min: “…”

He was stunned for two seconds before realizing that the boy was probably afraid of hearing some “business secrets”, so he voluntarily stepped out during the meeting to avoid any potential issues.

Yet, due to being overly tired lately, he had fallen asleep in the hallway.

He was sound asleep.

His breathing was somewhat heavy.

Ji Min suddenly rubbed his forehead and maneuvered his wheelchair over.

He spread the thin blanket he had over his legs and bent down to cover the sleeping boy with it.

Fortunately, it was still shortly after work hours and the temperature from the central air conditioning lingered in the hallway.

Otherwise, if he kept sleeping like this, he would surely end up in the hospital by morning.

Ji Min turned on the air conditioning and raised the temperature a bit.

He glanced at the time and suddenly lost interest in continuing to work.

So he just stayed there in the hallway.

He sat upright in his wheelchair, looking down at the boy asleep on the floor from a high vantage point.

Since the subject was asleep, his gaze became much less restrained.

He scanned the boy’s slightly damp hair from the fever, the heavy shadows under his eyelashes, and his increasingly gaunt body with hands that were red from the cold and slightly swollen at the knuckles.

He also noticed a small hole in the boy’s cotton coat, as if it had been singed by a spark.

Inside the hole wasn’t soft, fluffy down but rather ordinary polyester fiber.

Ji Min gradually realized that he had been a bit unhappy these past few days.

He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was bothering him.

Just some faint, sudden feelings of displeasure.

It was akin to seeing a stray dog he often fed getting all scruffy in pursuit of someone else’s offerings.

It was displeasing to see.

Yet he felt as though he had no real right to be unhappy.

Suddenly, the boy’s phone vibrated and slipped from his pants pocket.

Ji Min was quick to react; he bent down and caught it.

The sleeping person stirred slightly, disturbed by the noise.

Ji Min instinctively pressed the hang-up button.

After hanging up, he glanced down at the screen.

The contact displayed was the person in charge of a certain square.

Noticing the time, Ji Min realized it was nearly seven-thirty.

It must be the part-time job’s supervisor calling to check in since Lu Ran hadn’t shown up.

Before long, the phone rang again.

Ji Min looked over at the boy, who was snoring softly.

Holding the phone, he maneuvered his wheelchair away.

Once he was sure he was far enough away not to disturb him, he answered the call.

On the other end was a man with a loud voice, sounding quite polite but with an edge of irritation.

“Why haven’t you come yet? I’ve been waiting for you in the cold wind for over ten minutes.”

Ji Min’s expression remained calm.

His voice was cold, but carried the usual politeness: “Sorry, Lu Ran won’t be going today.”

The man on the other end of the line instinctively calmed down upon hearing his voice.

But he quickly became anxious again: “What happened? I can’t find anyone else on such short notice.”

Ji Min’s tone remained steady.

“He won’t be doing this job anymore. I will compensate for your loss at the full price. Someone will contact you.”

After hanging up, Ji Min handed the supervisor’s number to his assistant, briefly explaining the situation.

Lu Ran was in a deep sleep.

When he woke up, he shifted slightly. His neck and waist creaked in protest.

As soon as he realized he had fallen asleep, a chill ran through him.

Had he really slept so long in such cold weather in the hallway?

Was his life in danger?

However, after getting up, he found that aside from his neck and back being uncomfortable, he wasn’t feeling too bad.

He quickly remembered something and reached for his phone.

The phone had fallen right beside him.

Feeling around, he looked at the screen, which displayed the large digits—ten-thirty at night.

Lu Ran exploded.

He cursed, leaping up from the floor.

Upon seeing the person sitting in the wheelchair nearby, he forgot to be surprised at how Ji Min was still in the hallway.

All he could mutter was, “Oh no, what about my part-time job!”

Lu Ran scrambled to find the supervisor’s number to call.

Just before he hit dial, he heard the man in the wheelchair say, “I’ve helped you quit the job.”

Lu Ran: “?”

Lu Ran: “!”

He was stunned for two seconds, then his expression turned into one of utter shock.

“You quit? That’s the job I finally found that lets me slack off and provides late-night snacks! Ahhh!”

For some reason, seeing the boy go into a frenzy brought Ji Min a secret sense of wicked amusement.

So he nodded and repeated, “Quit.”

As Lu Ran was about to break down and start spinning in place, Ji Min curved his lips in a smile and offered, “I have another job for you. Do you want it?”

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