CFRFGC Chapter 53

⌈Don’t be too touched.⌋

The car interior suddenly fell silent.

Sitting up front, Butler Chen and the driver exchanged glances, each with a “spectator” expression, as if they were watching a drama unfold.

Goodness.

What on earth happened outside to make one of them think the other liked him?

Ji Min was stunned for a long time.

He stared at Lu Ran, as if he couldn’t believe his ears, and tentatively asked, “What did you say?”

The young man showed no hint of embarrassment. Boldly, he repeated, “I’m asking if you like me.”

This time, Ji Min heard it loud and clear.

He let out a laugh, as though he’d just heard the joke of the century.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Lu Ran spoke with a calm logic: “Then why are you so nice to me? You pay me a salary for doing nothing, with no tasks except studying.”

“Even after finding out I was using you, you weren’t angry and let me keep working.”

“And just now, you even helped me out in front of Shen Hongyuan.”

His gaze, clear and direct, locked onto Ji Min.

It was as if he was saying, ‘If this isn’t love, what is?’

His eyes, bright and serious, even held a faint hint of puzzlement, as though he were wondering how to reject Ji Min gently.

Ji Min felt dizzy from Lu Ran’s barrage of words, an unexplainable frustration brewing inside him.

He found this kid truly baffling.

He couldn’t help but turn his head and said seriously, “I saw you rinse the cups in the toilet with my own eyes today.”

That level of craziness.

Who would ever like that?

But the young man clearly missed the underlying meaning of his words.

He even slightly frowned and explained, “Most of that was just me venting on my behalf and maybe helping you get back at someone a little. You don’t need to be too touched.”

Ji Min felt a breath catch in his chest.

Don’t need to be too touched?

He rolled down the car window, taking in a cool breath of fresh air to calm the anger pulsing through his head.

Turning back, he explained seriously to Lu Ran, “I’m not interested in kids under twenty.”

With that said, he saw the young man’s face light up with utter shock as he stared at him.

For some reason, Ji Min felt a bit uneasy.

He thought he’d been a little too blunt with his refusal. His lips moved as if he was about to say something more.

But then he saw Lu Ran’s wide, incredulous eyes, and heard him mutter with a face full of disdain, “What are you even thinking, to have an age limit like that.”

Ji Min: “…”

What on earth had he gotten himself into?

Was it still possible to throw this kid out?

“Thank you, but I have zero interest in you, nor do I enjoy wasting money supporting people. I hired you for my own reasons, so keep quiet, sit back down, and be ready to work tomorrow.”

For once, Ji Min spoke a long string of words, barely taking a breath in between, lest Lu Ran interrupt with some new baffling remark.

Lu Ran studied his expression closely.

Seeing that Ji Min was truly serious, he reluctantly returned to the back seat.

“It better stay that way,” he said. “A boss falling for an employee—that’s workplace harassment.”

Ji Min: “…”

He turned to look out the window.

As they neared the Shen residence, he said curtly, “Pull over.”

The driver brought the car to a stop at the roadside.

Without even looking at Lu Ran, Ji Min, as if to further prove he felt nothing for him, coldly said, “Get out.”

“Huh?” Lu Ran blinked in confusion. “Weren’t you going to take me home?”

“That privilege has been revoked.” Ji Min replied at an unhurried pace.

In the end, Lu Ran, grumbling to himself, got out and walked back to the Shen residence alone with his dog.

No wonder Ji Min was so wealthy yet had no girlfriend or boyfriend, he thought.

That temper—no one would put up with it.

Still, after hearing Ji Min’s words, Lu Ran oddly felt a sense of relief.

The discomfort that had been building from the extra attention Ji Min had been giving him gradually faded.

Ji Min had his own reasons. That was more like it.

Meanwhile.

Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingran were also on their way back.

Shen Hongyuan sat in silence, his face dark and brooding.

Shen Xingran was a bit puzzled.

He had eagerly come along today, hearing that this banquet was a rare event. He even went out of his way to style himself and wore a piece from a high-end custom collection.

Who could’ve guessed that Shen Hongyuan wouldn’t even manage to get him inside?

Left alone in the car for ages with nothing to do, Shen Xingran eventually just fell asleep out of boredom.

Now that he was seeing Shen Hongyuan, a tinge of resentment crept into his heart.

If he’d come with his eldest brother, Shen Xingyu, no way would he have had to wait in the car like this.

But he couldn’t say that out loud.

If Shen Hongyuan heard, he’d explode on the spot.

Still, right now, Shen Xingran didn’t feel like sparing any concern for Shen Hongyuan’s fragile pride.

Pretending not to notice his father’s expression, he stayed curled up in the back, playing on his phone.

Recently, his relationship with Madam Shen had improved.

Finally, Shen Xingran no longer had to be on pins and needles.

But after scrolling through his contacts list, he started to feel a faint sense of disinterest.

Suddenly, a new message came in.

Seeing it, Shen Xingran perked up and leaned over to Shen Hongyuan excitedly, “Dad! Is Brother Ningqi coming back?”

After saying this enthusiastically, he realized Shen Hongyuan hadn’t responded at all.

Startled, Shen Xingran sensed something was off and finally looked up to observe his father’s expression carefully.

Shen Hongyuan was staring intently out the window, his face grave, carrying a tension like a storm was about to hit.

He hadn’t heard a word Shen Xingran just said.

After a moment, Shen Hongyuan seemed to snap out of it and, frowning, asked, “What did you just say?”

Shen Xingran paused, deliberately softening his tone to sound obedient, “Oh, nothing much. Just that Gu Ningqi sent me a message saying he’ll be back soon.”

“Hm.” Shen Hongyuan gave a faint acknowledgment, muttering softly to himself, “The Gu family…”

Hearing the mention of the Gu family, a hint of excitement appeared in Shen Xingran’s eyes as well.

Before, he’d felt it was a bit of a waste that Zhang Lin and Lin Yi were getting married, but he hadn’t taken any real action.

That was because the Shen family actually had a verbal marriage agreement with the Gu family.

Gu Ningqi, moreover, was his childhood friend.

The Shen family and the Gu family had once been equally prestigious, though the Shen family’s fortunes had declined in recent years while the Gu family remained as prominent as ever.

They were practically on the same level as the Ji family.

Shen Xingran wasn’t foolish; naturally, he wanted the best he could get.

With Gu Ningqi in the picture, he had no interest in settling for a second-generation rich kid like Zhang Lin.

Shen Xingran’s excitement grew. He quickly pushed Shen Hongyuan’s situation to the back of his mind.

It wasn’t until they returned to the Shen family villa that he snapped back.

Following Shen Hongyuan into the living room, he was eager to share the news he’d just received with Madam Shen.

As soon as Shen Xingran approached, he saw Shen Hongyuan, who had been about to go upstairs, suddenly pause.

Shen Hongyuan turned around casually and asked Madam Shen, “Have you finalized the guest list you were working on a while back?”

Madam Shen looked confused. “What guest list?”

Shen Xingran was just as baffled.

Then, standing on the staircase, Shen Hongyuan announced it in a calm and matter-of-fact tone, as though he were mentioning something trivial: “Next month, we’ll be formally recognizing Lu Ran as family. Didn’t you bring up this idea recently? Start preparing for it.”

In that instant, Shen Xingran felt a buzz echo in his mind.

What did Shen Hongyuan just say?

Who were they going to recognize?

Lu Ran?

Why?

Just earlier today, Shen Hongyuan had been staunchly opposed to this idea!

Madam Shen was equally shocked.

Previously, when she suggested recognizing Lu Ran, it was just a precaution, in case Shen Xingran turned out to be Shen Hongyuan’s illegitimate son.

She hadn’t had time to prepare for anything more than that.

And now, just the thought of formally recognizing Lu Ran brought up a flood of troublesome issues she had hoped to avoid.

Instinctively, she deflected, “Why are you suddenly pushing for this? What’s the point of stirring things up for no reason? It’s too much trouble…”

Shen Hongyuan’s expression darkened, and he interrupted her, “All because of you!”

He seemed to remember something and forced down his anger.

“Enough. The decision is made. Make the preparations,” he stated with finality.

With that, he continued up the stairs without waiting for Madam Shen’s reply.

Halfway up, he stopped again.

He turned to the stunned Shen Xingran and said, “Since you’re in touch with Gu Ningqi, remember to inform the Gu family.”

Shen Xingran gripped his phone tightly.

If Lu Ran was accepted into the Shen family…

Then the engagement with the Gu family…

Shen Xingran suddenly realized that the engagement with the Gu family had originally been arranged by Old Master Shen.

Before the old man passed, Shen Xingran hadn’t even been adopted by the Shen family.

So…

Who was the original intended match for the engagement?

The Shen family’s living room fell into complete silence.

Until the electronic gate outside beeped with a “ding” sound.

Shen Xingran turned his head to look.

Lu Ran walked into the villa from outside, holding his little dog under the dim glow of the streetlights.

He looked no different from a few days ago.

Dressed in that same shabby style, Lu Ran had mysterious stains on the hem of his shirt and pants.

Noticing Shen Xingran’s gaze, he looked up, fixing his calm black eyes—calm to the point of making Shen Xingran feel both guilty and fearful—right at him.

Shen Xingran vividly recalled that morning. The two had stood in the exact same spot. He had arrogantly looked down on Lu Ran, backed by Madam Shen’s favoritism, coldly informing him that he would never be accepted into the Shen family.

And yet, within just a dozen hours, it felt as if nothing and everything had changed.

Upstairs, a faint sound caught their attention. They looked up to see Shen Hongyuan coming back down the stairs.

He had changed out of his formal attire from the banquet and into something just as refined, though a bit understated, and had even tidied his hair. He looked so prepared as if he were about to meet an important client.

For a split second, Shen Xingran felt the absurdity of it all. Was Shen Hongyuan really dressing up to welcome Lu Ran?

When Shen Hongyuan reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked surprised to find only Lu Ran, walking in with his dog.

His expression darkened. “Why did you come back alone?”

Lu Ran took one look at him and almost laughed.

“Who else?” he replied, giving Shen Hongyuan a once-over and feigning exaggerated amazement. “Oh my, Father, did you actually come down to greet me?”

Shen Hongyuan looked as if he’d been toyed with, and his instinct was to lose his temper. But when he looked down, he saw the little dog sticking close to Lu Ran.

Lu Ran had been with Ji Min all night, and now he was back—with the dog.

Shen Hongyuan’s expression shifted to one of mild astonishment.

Ji Min… he was even taking care of a dog for Lu Ran?

Holding back his emotions for a moment, Shen Hongyuan finally managed a forced smile and said, “The family will host a banquet in a month. Be prepared.”

With that, Shen Hongyuan headed back upstairs.

Lu Ran took Da Huang back to his room.

Thinking about Shen Hongyuan’s earlier expression made him chuckle. He picked up his phone and sent Ji Min a message: [Boss, you’re really such a nice person! (hug emoji)]

Though he still wasn’t sure what Ji Min wanted from him, Ji Min’s position had clearly done him a huge favor tonight.

Over there, the man seemed to be growing wary of him, replying promptly but cautiously with an entirely off-topic message: [I don’t like you.]

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