CFRFGC Chapter 19

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying? I told you to get out!” Madam Shen shouted, on the verge of a breakdown.

After yelling, she suddenly realized where they were—right at the entrance of the villa. This was a high-end neighborhood, where every resident was either rich or powerful. Even a casual stroll could lead to bumping into familiar socialites, not to mention potential business partners of the Shen family.

If anyone saw her like this, how could she maintain her reputation?

Meanwhile, Lu Ran lay on his pillow while playing a game.

“You all brought me here and now you think I should leave just because you say so? Things aren’t that easy,” Lu Ran said, still focused on his phone.

Madam Shen was furious but quickly retreated when she noticed someone walking by in the distance.

Lu Ran let out a cold laugh.

When he first got his suitcase, he almost felt like he could fly away from happiness while walking his dog, Da Huang. Did they really think he wanted to stay in this ridiculous place?

He couldn’t wait to cut all ties with the Shen family.

But Lu Ran still remembered his fate from his previous life.

Even after he left the Shen family, they still came after him. He suspected that his car accident hadn’t been an accident at all, but rather the Shen family’s way of forcing him back.

They clearly had their own reasons for wanting him back and it had to be related to their interests. There must be something they wanted from him.

Without figuring that out, Lu Ran knew leaving wouldn’t solve anything.

In the living room, Madam Shen paced back and forth, feeling restless.

After a while, she asked, “Is he still outside, refusing to leave?”

The servant shook their head.

Madam Shen muttered a curse under her breath and couldn’t even enjoy dinner.

She waited until nightfall when the light from Lu Ran’s phone finally went dark.

A glimmer of hope appeared in her heart. She grabbed the servant and asked, “Quick, check if he’s gone!”

Shortly after, the servant returned, crushing her hope.

“Ma’am, not only has he not left, but he’s also sound asleep.”

Madam Shen clutched her chest and sat down.

“You! You go…” She pointed at the servant, “Get a couple of people and carry him far away!”

But just as the servant turned to leave, she quickly called them back. “Wait, wait, wait!”

She couldn’t do that.

With Lu Ran’s habit of causing chaos in the middle of the night, if they really woke him up, there was no telling how much of a scene he’d make. By tomorrow, the whole neighborhood would know about the ridiculous commotion at her house.

Shen Xingran, who had come over to comfort her, said, “Mom, he’s just trying to scare you. There’s no way he’ll really sleep outside all night. He’ll definitely find somewhere else to stay.”

Observing her expression, he deliberately added, “Or… maybe you could compromise and let him come back inside?”

As expected, Madam Shen’s face immediately hardened. “No way!”

“I don’t believe he’ll actually sleep outside all night!”

With that, she turned and headed upstairs, refusing to think about Lu Ran any further.

Shen Xingran smirked behind her back.

Despite her tough words, Madam Shen had a restless night, unable to sleep properly. Her mind kept racing—one moment picturing Lu Ran blasting music in the middle of the night, and the next imagining him jumping inside wrapped in his sleeping bag, shouting “Surprise!” at her.

By the time morning came, her mind was a complete mess.

This sleep was worse than not sleeping at all.

As soon as Madam Shen opened her eyes, she rushed downstairs without even washing her face or changing out of her pajamas. She grabbed a servant and asked anxiously, “Did he leave last night? When did he go?”

Seeing the servant’s hesitant expression, Madam Shen had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, she soon heard the servant say, “Young Master Lu didn’t leave. He even ordered takeout for himself…”

Madam Shen felt dizzy.

Takeout? He even ordered takeout?

Was he planning to camp out here forever?

“What did he order?” Madam Shen demanded.

The servant glanced at her awkwardly. “Uh… steamed buns and pickled vegetables?”

“What?!” Madam Shen shrieked. “He’s eating that kind of food right in front of the Shen family’s doorstep?”

She had a vague sense that maybe she had made a mistake, but her pride wouldn’t let her invite Lu Ran back inside.

At that moment, Lu Ran had already gone to a nearby public restroom to freshen up. He had emerged from his sleeping bag, half-reclining on it while eating, his back propped up against his suitcase.

He looked entirely relaxed, lounging like the famous slacker character Ge You¹Ge You is a famous Chinese actor. He gained widespread fame through his portrayal of laid-back, often lazy, and indifferent characters, which resonated with audiences. Ge You’s persona of playing slacker characters has become a cultural touchstone in China, symbolizing a certain carefree or indifferent attitude.. With practiced ease, he tore the steamed bun apart, then bit into a packet of pickled vegetables, tearing open a corner and stuffing the pickles inside the steamed bun. Opening his mouth wide, he took a large, satisfying bite, his eyes narrowing in contentment.

It was just an ordinary white steamed bun, but he ate it as though it were a gourmet delicacy, making even the plain white bun seem irresistibly soft and tempting.

Chen Sheng had just stepped out to walk his dog. After walking for only a short distance, he saw this scene. For no reason, he and his husky both stopped, staring at Lu Ran’s steamed bun, practically drooling.

They stood there, watching as Lu Ran took one big bite after another, finishing off the entire steamed bun. Every now and then, he would slurp some soy milk.

Chen Sheng’s stomach growled.

He had already eaten breakfast before heading out, but somehow, the carefully prepared soup dumplings and shrimp porridge made by his personal chef didn’t seem nearly as appetizing as Lu Ran’s steamed bun.

His husky felt the same way, suddenly dragging Chen Sheng into a mad dash toward the Shen family’s gate. The dog skidded to a stop in front of Lu Ran, sitting obediently and wagging its tail furiously.

Lu Ran glanced up, recognizing the familiar face. He tore off a piece of steamed bun and stuffed it into the husky’s mouth.

The husky wagged its tail even more enthusiastically.

Chen Sheng: “…”

Should he mention that before leaving the house, this dog had been on a hunger strike, refusing to eat its kibble?

“Good morning.” Lu Ran greeted lazily, lying at the Shen family’s front gate.

“Good morning, good morning.” Chen Sheng responded with an awkward smile, tinged with respect.

Lu Ran had made a name for himself after his confrontation with Lin Yi. Now, in their social circle, he was practically a legend, a war god on par with Lü Bu²Lü Bu (; died 7 February 199 AD), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China..

But Chen Sheng was puzzled. He had personally witnessed Lu Ran shoving a toilet brush into someone’s mouth and pinning Lin Yi in the restroom. Yet now, seeing him eat, why did it look so appetizing?

Lu Ran, of course, didn’t care what Chen Sheng thought. Lately, he’d been growing and one steamed bun wasn’t enough to fill him up. So, he tore open another one, stuffing the remaining half of the pickled vegetables inside.

The warm steamed bun, stuffed with pickles, released an irresistible fragrance. The husky sitting nearby whined anxiously, “Awooo.”

Lu Ran reached out and pushed the dog’s face away. “You can’t eat this. Go eat that.” With that, he poured some dog food into Da Huang’s bowl.

The husky immediately chomped down on the food.

Lu Ran took a large bite of his steamed bun, cheeks bulging as he chewed.

Chen Sheng’s stomach suddenly growled in response.

Hurriedly changing the subject, Chen Sheng glanced at Lu Ran’s peculiar setup and asked, “What… what are you doing here?”

Lu Ran pointed to the sleeping bag beneath him. “Roughing it in front of my own house.”

Chen Sheng: “…”

He looked at Lu Ran, then at the Shen family’s gate. Slowly, he gave Lu Ran a thumbs-up.

He genuinely admired Lu Ran now.

When Lu Ran first stirred up trouble with the Lin family, everyone speculated that the Zhang family might come after him. But after so many days, nothing had happened. It was hard not to be impressed.

Meanwhile, the husky had finished the bit of dog food on the ground and was still looking hopeful, begging for more.

Lu Ran glanced at the dog and then at the dog’s owner.

Chen Sheng looked at the dog, then stared longingly at the steamed bun in Lu Ran’s hand. He couldn’t help himself anymore.

Stammering, Chen Sheng asked, “Is… is that any good?”

He was the young master of the Chen family, after all. Though his family was slightly less prominent than the Shen family, they were still on par with the Lin family. He had eaten all kinds of delicacies, yet here he was, salivating over a plain white steamed bun.

But…

In all his life, Chen Sheng had never eaten a steamed bun stuffed with pickles.

He stared at the steamed bun in Lu Ran’s hand, his eyes full of longing.

“You want to try?” Lu Ran asked.

Chen Sheng nodded eagerly.

Without hesitation, Lu Ran reached into his bag, pulled out a large white steamed bun and a packet of pickled vegetables, and handed them to Chen Sheng. He even showed him how to stuff the pickles inside the bun.

Chen Sheng was both shocked and flattered. He hadn’t expected someone as fierce as Lu Ran to be so generous.

Following Lu Ran’s example, Chen Sheng took a big bite of the steamed bun. The warmth and softness of the bun, combined with the crisp pickled vegetables inside, filled his mouth with surprising satisfaction.

The freshness of the pickled vegetables exploded on Chen Sheng’s tongue, giving the plain steamed bun a new depth of flavor.

It wasn’t as refined as the food Chen Sheng was used to, but it brought an unexpected sense of contentment and happiness.

Lu Ran looked at the young master like he was an idiot. Had this rich kid never tasted the wonders of high-carb, MSG-laden food before?

“Tasty?” Lu Ran asked.

Chen Sheng nodded eagerly, giving him a thumbs up.

“Oh, by the way, one steamed bun costs a hundred bucks. I’ll waive the cost of the dog food and pickled vegetables, just send the money to my Alipay.” Lu Ran flashed his Alipay QR code.

The previously praising Chen Sheng: “…”

A hundred bucks for a steamed bun?

Why don’t you just rob me?

Even though Chen Sheng wasn’t clueless about prices, he knew this was a total rip-off. But after all, he had eaten the food and, not wanting to provoke Lu Ran, he begrudgingly transferred the hundred yuan.

Once he finished the steamed bun, Chen Sheng looked up and saw another familiar face approaching.

Waving frantically, he shouted, “Big Chuang!”

The man named Big Chuang walked over and, upon seeing Lu Ran lying on the ground, was momentarily startled.

He had also been present when Lu Ran shoved a toilet brush down someone’s throat. So when he saw Lu Ran, his first instinct was to turn and leave, but he stopped himself halfway.

Chen Sheng didn’t say a word, waiting as Big Chuang eyed Lu Ran, who took another big bite of the steamed bun, his cheeks moving like a squirrel’s.

As expected, no one could resist Lu Ran’s eating show.

Chen Sheng watched as Big Chuang unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

He pointed at the steamed bun in Lu Ran’s hand and promoted it: “Our Brother Lu’s steamed bun is exceptionally fragrant, really delicious.”

No way he was getting swindled alone—might as well drag someone else into it.

Big Chuang scoffed at first, ready to leave, but then his gaze caught Lu Ran taking another bite. The soft white steamed bun, with the reddish pickled vegetables peeking out, looked unusually tempting.

A few minutes later, Lu Ran’s Alipay balance increased by another hundred yuan.

Lu Ran sat in his sleeping bag, deep in thought.

Why bother working a job? Why not just sell steamed bun here?

At the Shen household.

Madam Shen stared at the breakfast spread in front of her, unable to eat. She poked at her food while considering whether she should just clear out the storage shed and let Lu Ran move in there.

But after thinking about it for a while, she decided that would be too much of a favor to Lu Ran. He could clean it up himself.

Having made up her mind, Madam Shen calmed down and leisurely continued her breakfast, intending to leave Lu Ran outside for a bit longer.

She raised a spoonful of seafood soup to her lips, but just as the spoon reached her mouth, the gardener suddenly burst in.

“Madam, something’s wrong! Lu Ran is chatting with the young master of the Chen family outside!”

Madam Shen spat out her soup immediately.

She hurriedly wiped her mouth and asked, “Who did you say?”

“The Chen family, from next door!”

Madam Shen was in disbelief.

“He’s lying outside and still dares to chat with people?”

The gardener nodded.

Madam Shen grew anxious again.

The young master of the Chen family was one thing, but the real issue was Madam Chen next door—an infamous gossip. If she found out, the whole of Beijing would likely hear about it.

Before Madam Shen could think of a solution, the gardener glanced back and said, “The Zhao family’s young master is here too!”

Madam Shen peeked out and saw Lu Ran handing a steamed bun to Zhao Chuang.

For some reason, the tall, muscular Zhao Chuang, who looked like he could take on two Lu Rans at once, accepted the steamed bun with surprising respect. Not only did he take it with both hands, but he also politely thanked Lu Ran.

Madam Shen felt like she had stepped into a bizarre world.

This couldn’t go on any longer.

She composed herself, tidied up, and with a calm demeanor, made her way to the front gate of the Shen family estate.

When she arrived, she saw that a small crowd of three to five people had already gathered around Lu Ran.

Besides Chen Sheng and Zhao Chuang, there were two other young masters from wealthy families, all squatting side by side, staring intently at the steamed bun in Lu Ran’s hand.

Lu Ran yawned lazily and said, “This is the last one, two hundred bucks. You guys can have a PK to decide who gets it, or split it half and half.”

• 1
  Ge You is a famous Chinese actor. He gained widespread fame through his portrayal of laid-back, often lazy, and indifferent characters, which resonated with audiences. Ge You’s persona of playing slacker characters has become a cultural touchstone in China, symbolizing a certain carefree or indifferent attitude.
• 2
  Lü Bu (; died 7 February 199 AD), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China.