CFRFGC Chapter 11

Thank you to 貝妮_Blazy for the ko-fi~

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⌈Showed his Alipay payment code⌋

Inside the private room, there was a burst of laughter and chatter.

Shen Xingzhuo couldn’t swallow his food.

He didn’t understand why, in such situations, he always thought of Lu Ran.

Clearly, just a few days ago, he was just like everyone else at the table, often pushing Lu Ran to the back of his mind, feeling only annoyance when he saw him.

But now, watching his family enjoy themselves together, he couldn’t help but think of that small yellow plastic bucket that was left in the corner.

Shen Xingran was very happy.

He was sweet-tongued, making Madam Shen laugh so much that her mouth couldn’t close.

Shen Xingzhuo watched him¹Shen Xingran idly nibbling at the small cake on his plate.

After a few bites, he lost interest and pushed it aside.

The other food on the plate was the same.

Shen Xingzhuo stared at the piece of cake for a while and suddenly asked, “Aren’t you going to eat this?”

“Hmm?” Shen Xingran didn’t understand why he asked that and simply said, “I’m chatting with Mom right now. I’ll eat it later.”

Shen Xingzhuo understood that “later” was just an excuse.

He knew that Shen Xingran wouldn’t touch the food on his plate again.

This was normal.

It was a bit unusual for him to focus on that piece of cake.

It was just a piece of cake; if he didn’t want to eat it, he could just throw it away.

He didn’t need to worry about the other food either; if he wanted to eat, there would always be more.

No one would pay attention to such matters.

No matter how good Shen Xingzhuo and Shen Xingran’s relationship was, he would only eat from the same plate as Shen Xingran, but he wouldn’t eat what Shen Xingran left behind.

Because there was no need.

He often threw away food himself.

But now…

The cake in front of him wasn’t to Shen Xingzhuo’s taste.

He furrowed his brows and finished it bite by bite.

With each bite, the image of Lu Ran squinting with a fry in his mouth flashed through his mind.

Fast food, seen everywhere, could make him feel like a happy little cat.

After finishing the cake, Shen Xingzhuo looked up to see the others at the table.

First, there was Shen Hongyuan, maintaining his authority, occasionally pointing things out to Shen Xingran and commanding the waitstaff from time to time.

Then there was Madam Shen, lost in the joy of celebrating, her laughter and chatter never-ending.

And there was Shen Xingran, holding onto Madam Shen’s arm, happily chatting away.

Shen Xingzhuo knew it was inappropriate.

But that rebellious stubbornness of his suddenly surged and he asked out of the blue, “Isn’t it appropriate not to invite Lu Ran over today?”

The voices at the table abruptly stopped.

The three faces froze, looking incredibly grim.

Shen Xingzhuo looked at their expressions, feeling a mix of emotions.

While he thought to himself that he probably felt the same as they did, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction at their grim faces.

“Why did you bring him up?” Shen Hongyuan’s trauma hadn’t faded and he absolutely didn’t want to hear Lu Ran’s name at the dinner table.

Madam Shen wasn’t much better off.

Shen Xingzhuo lost his desire to eat.

He leaned back in his chair, fiddling with the knife in his hand, and lazily remarked, “He’d be angry if he found out, right?”

As soon as he said that, both Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen’s faces turned sour.

Madam Shen was even more anxious, stammering, “H-he… he won’t cause any trouble again, will he?”

Only Shen Xingran stared thoughtfully at Shen Xingzhuo.

He said, “If no one tells him, how would he know? He probably… doesn’t remember Mom’s birthday, right?”

Madam Shen twitched her lips.

She could choose not to invite Lu Ran for her birthday.

But if Lu Ran forgot, that would be too heartless.

Shen Xingzhuo felt a bit nauseated and left after a short while.

Shen Xingran chased after him.

“Brother! Why are you leaving so soon? Mom will be sad.” He grabbed Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo leaned against the car window, lowering his eyes to stare at Shen Xingran, observing him closely.

He suddenly realized that Shen Xingran wasn’t like the child from his dreams.

Shen Xingran hid too much in his eyes; his thoughts were far too complex.

But after all, he was his younger brother whom he had spoiled for over ten years. Shen Xingzhuo still spoke gently, “It’s fine; she’s been angry with me for a long time.”

Shen Xingran tried to persuade him a few more times.

He fixed his gaze on Shen Xingzhuo and suddenly asked, “Second Brother, why did you suddenly mention Lu Ran today?”

Shen Xingzhuo kept his eyelids half-lowered, maintaining his casual demeanor as he looked at Shen Xingran.

Usually, if he had something on his mind, he would try to talk to Shen Xingran.

But now, Shen Xingzhuo had no desire to chat.

He didn’t say much, only replied, “Just not in a good mood.”

Hearing this, Shen Xingran felt relieved instead.

Shen Xingzhuo didn’t have a particularly harmonious relationship with the family.

He had a bad temper.

It was likely because he was in a bad mood, so he couldn’t stand seeing others happy. He specifically brings up Lu Ran just to annoy them.

“Brother, you shouldn’t overwork yourself lately. If it’s too much, just come back home… It’s okay if the studio doesn’t open.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xingran realized he had said the wrong thing and felt a bit regretful.

But this time, Shen Xingzhuo didn’t get angry.

He seemed lost in thought, casually nodded, and got into the car.

Shen Xingran’s expression changed slightly, unsure whether Shen Xingzhuo was distracted or really planning to go to the studio.

Shen Xingzhuo didn’t notice Shen Xingran’s expression.

He drove around the street for a while.

It was getting late and the shop doors were all closed.

Only a dessert shop was still open.

Shen Xingzhuo got out of the car and stood outside, staring at the cakes in the glass display.

He gazed for quite a while until someone inside asked, “May I help you with something?”

Shen Xingzhuo was suddenly jolted back to reality.

He rubbed his forehead, confused about why he was standing there.

The next day at noon.

Shen Xingzhuo returned to the fast-food restaurant.

It was still around the time when breakfast was just over and there weren’t many people.

After a flurry of activity, Lu Ran was busy preparing orders for takeout.

When he noticed a figure at the counter, he instinctively said, “Welcome! May I take your order?”

But after saying that, there was no immediate response.

Lu Ran looked up and saw Shen Xingzhuo with a sullen face.

Welcome.

Just those simple four words inexplicably irritated Shen Xingzhuo.

“You…”

He wanted to say ‘Why are you saying this to me?’

But then he remembered that Lu Ran was working.

He would say this not only to him but to every customer who came into the shop.

That irritation deepened even more.

He also thought ‘Didn’t you recognize me?’

But even if he did, so what? Their relationship was worse than that of strangers.

At least strangers wouldn’t go and kill Lu Ran’s dog.

Shen Xingzhuo immediately lost his edge.

He spoke in a low voice, “I’m here to eat.”

“Oh, go ahead and order.” Lu Ran pointed to the menu.

He had no idea what Shen Xingzhuo was thinking and didn’t care at all.

Earning a living through hard work was his daily routine.

Not having a job was the terrifying part.

However, he hadn’t expected Shen Xingzhuo to come back several days in a row.

He didn’t know what Shen Xingzhuo was here for; he just looked somewhat dim-witted.

Lu Ran remained wary of the Shen family.

But after receiving a free lunch the previous day, he developed a perception of Shen Xingzhuo as a “big spender”.

Shen Xingzhuo stared at the menu, unsure of what to order.

He had no interest in this kind of fast food at all.

When eating out, he usually went to chain restaurants or high-end clubs.

After hesitating for quite a while, he only ordered a portion of fries.

Lu Ran glanced at him for a moment and suddenly pointed at the sign above his head, saying, “That chicken steak is pretty good.”

— According to what they say.

Because that thing was super expensive.

“Oh, then I’ll have one of those,” Shen Xingzhuo said.

Lu Ran glanced at him and then pointed to the extremely expensive steak burger on the menu: “This one is also delicious.”

— Or so they say.

Lu Ran had never tried it.

But to Shen Xingzhuo, the prices on the entire fast-food menu were all the same.

In short, it was: not worth spending money on.

Without a second thought, he ordered what Lu Ran recommended, without probing into why Lu Ran suggested it.

After placing his order, Shen Xingzhuo stood at the counter, not moving.

It was Lu Ran who reminded him, “Find a place to sit; you’re blocking others.”

Shen Xingzhuo paused for a moment.

The young master Shen usually didn’t expect others to give way.

He had never had the awareness that he could block others.

He dawdled and found a seat near the counter.

Time passed second by second.

Shen Xingzhuo sat in his spot, occasionally glancing at the busy youth behind the counter.

Several groups of people came in one after another.

It was the weekend and there were many takeout orders; the young man was bent over the counter, preparing order bags one by one.

Perhaps it was due to waking up early and working late, he yawned several times in a short period.

Before long, the meals were ready.

Lu Ran was exhausted and didn’t want to attend to Shen Xingzhuo.

But the wariness in his mind didn’t dissipate.

Shen Xingzhuo had a bad temper; who knew if he would cause trouble over a small incident?

Maybe he came to the shop these past few days just to catch him making a mistake and force him to quit.

Shen Xingzhuo saw the tray placed on the counter.

He remembered how Lu Ran had delivered food to him a few days earlier and instinctively stood up, reaching out to grab it.

But Lu Ran was quicker, coming out from behind the counter with the tray.

He set the tray down in front of Shen Xingzhuo, neatly folding the napkins.

Shen Xingzhuo felt uncomfortable again.

In his mind, he momentarily saw Shen Xingran casually eating at the table, then suddenly saw Lu Ran saying “Welcome”.

His anger surged up in an instant.

Shen Xingzhuo spoke with a hint of irritation, “Do you really have to work this part-time job?”

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, looking down at Shen Xingzhuo by the table.

He thought to himself that the second young master of the Shen family kept coming over; it turned out he was waiting for him.

Lu Ran slowly straightened up and asked Shen Xingzhuo, “What else would I do? If I don’t work, who will pay me?”

“Didn’t Mom give you anything?” Shen Xingzhuo asked.

“Yeah.” Lu Ran smiled, “She still owes me one billion that she hasn’t paid back yet.”

“So you’re staying here to be a waiter? Every day saying welcome and then serving plates to people?” Shen Xingzhuo started speaking without thinking.

He didn’t know what he wanted to express, but he just didn’t want to see Lu Ran like this.

“Second young master.” Lu Ran showed no anger.

“Don’t look down on people,” he said. “This is what most people do every day. Without us, the wealthy wouldn’t be able to sit back and relax.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Shen Xingzhuo was somewhat agitated.

Lu Ran quietly looked at him.

Usually, when Shen Xingzhuo threw a tantrum, he wouldn’t care about anything, not even Shen Xingran.

But this time, when he looked up and met Lu Ran’s dark eyes, he suddenly lost his fire.

He turned away, took a deep breath, and actively suppressed his anger.

He asked Lu Ran, “How much does the boss pay you here? I’ll give you three times that; just don’t work here anymore.”

“Oh?” Lu Ran was a bit surprised.

In his previous life, when the Shen family forced him to flee everywhere, they never pulled something like this.

“Alright,” Lu Ran replied.

Shen Xingzhuo finally felt a bit more at ease.

“But…”

“But what?” Shen Xingzhuo asked.

Lu Ran smiled at him: “But the second young master Shen has no credibility with me; you need to pay me my salary in advance before I quit.”

As he spoke, he showed Shen Xingzhuo his Alipay payment code.

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