⌈”Mr. Ji, right? Could you please be quiet for a moment?”⌋
This was the first time Shen Xingran met Ji Min.
For some reason, others always spoke of the young head of the Ji family in hushed tones.
Shen Xingran stared at the man in the wheelchair for a while.
Inwardly, he judged with regret—
What a shame he’s disabled.
But in the next moment, Shen Xingran recalled his plan for today.
He looked at Ji Min with some hesitation.
Since it was their first meeting, Shen Xingran wanted to leave a good impression on Ji Min.
If a scandal erupted at the banquet…
He wondered if it might implicate the entire Shen family or even himself.
Yet, there was no better opportunity than now.
If Lu Ran embarrassed himself in front of Ji Min, Shen Hongyuan, who was extremely concerned about his reputation, would definitely not allow Lu Ran back into the Shen family in the future.
Then he would forever be the only “Shen Xingran” in the Shen family.
After hesitating for a few minutes, Shen Xingran’s gaze gradually became resolute.
Zhang Lin finally found the opportunity to slip away.
The first floor of the Shen family’s villa was spacious, with a large circular ballroom upon entry, flanked by the living room and dining room.
A circular corridor wound around to the back of the villa, lined on both sides with servant quarters.
Zhang Lin walked down the corridor.
The lighting in the corridor was not as bright as in the ballroom and the windows faced away from the sun.
At this time, the sunset was nearly gone. Once he entered the corridor, the light dimmed.
Zhang Lin couldn’t help but think back to when he had seen Lu Ran in the private room.
He had been sitting on the sofa, while Lu Ran knelt on the floor picking up the keys.
His fingers had searched through the gaps of the coffee table but found nothing.
So, he had looked up at Zhang Lin.
Even to this day, whenever Zhang Lin thought of that scene, he felt a stirring in his heart.
But it was merely a fleeting “stirring”.
Because just thinking about what had happened that night…
Zhang Lin glanced down at himself, then raised his head with a look of frustration.
He looked at the door ahead, feeling a bit nervous.
“It’s okay, Zhang Lin!”
Young Master Zhang encouraged himself. “It’s just a mental barrier. Once today is over, you’ll still be the amazing person you used to be!”
Yes, everything was for the future.
Even if he took the medicine today, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do it.
Having prepared himself mentally, Zhang Lin took out a small blue pill and swallowed it.
Then, he stared at the door in front of him, took out the key Shen Xingran had given him, and unlocked Lu Ran’s room.
With a “click,” the door unlocked.
Zhang Lin mustered his courage and pushed the door open.
Before he could see the scene inside, a trash can came crashing down on him.
“I’ve fucking waited for you!”
Without a word, Lu Ran picked up the trash can and threw it.
“Hey, I—I—I…” Zhang Lin was taken completely off guard and stunned by the hit.
“You, you, you…” He finally managed to shove the trash can and its contents aside. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Yeah, why am I not asleep? Why don’t you try it?”
Saying that, Lu Ran grabbed Zhang Lin’s chin and poured the rest of the half-full glass of wine down his throat.
The banquet hall was lively.
Yet, everyone subtly watched the man in the wheelchair.
“I heard his leg was injured by the illegitimate son of the Ji family…”
Someone couldn’t help but gossip.
As soon as they opened their mouth, they were hushed by those nearby: “Shh! Do you know what you’re saying?”
Shen Hongyuan put aside all matters and followed Ji Min, engaging in small talk.
Although he cared about his image and was currently facing a bit of a midlife crisis, his business instincts remained unchanged; he never forced himself when it was time to lower his stance.
However, this time, Ji Min’s expression remained faintly indifferent.
It was hard to guess his thoughts.
The Zhang couple followed closely behind, fearing that their business would truly be snatched away by the Shen family.
Leaning back in his chair, Ji Min looked somewhat fatigued.
As Shen Hongyuan and the Zhang couple made an effort to chat with him, he merely kept half-closed eyes, showing little interest.
He would occasionally respond with a word or two, leaving others curious about his thoughts.
When Shen Xingran approached, he saw this scene.
He smiled and walked over, standing beside Shen Hongyuan.
Shen Hongyuan understood immediately and pulled Shen Xingran in to introduce him: “Mr. Ji, this is my youngest son, Xingran.”
Then he turned to Shen Xingran and said, “Quickly greet Mr. Ji.”
“Hello, Mr. Ji. I often hear my dad mention you,” Shen Xingran said, putting on a well-behaved demeanor.
In the past, at such occasions, when someone said that, the listeners would either consider it mere pleasantries or think that the two families were close, thus narrowing the distance between them.
However, the man in the wheelchair lifted his eyelids to glance at him and straightforwardly asked, “What do they say about me?”
Shen Xingran’s smile faltered, caught off guard. He momentarily couldn’t find the words or dare to speak recklessly.
A subtle awkwardness spread through the air.
Shen Hongyuan nudged Shen Xingran with his elbow. Was Ji Min someone who could be casually approached!
He immediately laughed and tried to smooth things over: “Just some business matters.”
Ji Min let out a scoff, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After saying this, Shen Hongyuan regretted it.
Ji Min was cold and hard-handed, someone to be wary of.
Moreover, he was disabled.
If they were to talk privately, it likely wouldn’t be anything good.
Seeing this, the Zhang couple wanted to interject and take a jab at Shen Hongyuan.
But just as they were about to speak, Ji Min said, “I’m tired. I need some quiet time.”
After that, he used the remote control for his wheelchair to move towards a quieter spot.
But Uncle Chen wanted to follow.
Ji Min waved his hand.
Uncle Chen understood and stopped following, continuing to chat with the Shen and Zhang families.
Ji Min controlled his wheelchair along the corridor toward a more peaceful area.
He paused in front of the corridor window for a moment, relaxing his nerves while watching the lawn in the backyard.
He had come to the Shen family this time without any particular purpose.
Or rather, making the other families think he had a purpose was Ji Min’s actual purpose.
However, he had just finished discussing business abroad at noon, caught a flight back in the afternoon, and was now on his way back.
Indeed, he felt a bit tired and impatient dealing with Shen Hongyuan and the others.
There were not many people in the backyard.
A small yellow dog was playing with a ball on the lawn, limping on its hind leg but still determinedly chasing the rolling ball.
Ji Min watched for a while and thought the dog seemed somewhat familiar.
He maneuvered his wheelchair a little closer, but when he pressed the remote, it didn’t respond.
Looking down, Ji Min realized the wheelchair’s battery had run out.
There was no handle on his wheelchair.
He had no choice but to call Uncle Chen.
He had just taken out his phone when a dull thud sounded from the room beside him.
Ji Min frowned and looked over.
“Creak.”
The door opened a crack.
A fluffy little head poked out, cautiously glancing left and right in the corridor.
Suddenly, their eyes met.
Ji Min was taken aback.
It was that child.
“You…” Ji Min was about to speak.
Lu Ran’s eyes widened slightly.
He dashed over, covering Ji Min’s mouth, and dragged both him and the wheelchair into his room.
“Bang!” The door slammed shut.
The room was dark, the lights off.
Ji Min had his mouth and nose covered. As he was pulled in, the wheelchair tilted awkwardly.
He felt the wheels bump against something, causing it to jolt twice.
In his twenty-seven years of life, apart from being kidnapped in his childhood, Ji Min had never been treated like this.
The scene felt eerily similar to a kidnapping.
Only this time, the palm covering his mouth and nose was soft, and the arm pressed against his face and neck was thin, allowing him to feel the frailty of the bones and muscles through the thin fabric of his sweatshirt.
Even though Ji Min was disabled, he could easily escape with the strength of his arms.
Besides, after just a few steps, the boy behind him was already panting heavily.
What a useless “kidnapper” he was.
When the wheelchair settled, the one hidden in the darkness, this “kidnapper”, complained, “Why are you and your wheelchair so heavy?”
Ji Min didn’t respond.
Once Lu Ran released his hand, Ji Min pressed his lips together for a moment, then furrowed his brows and asked, “What did your hand just touch?”
“Oh, the garbage can!”
Lu Ran turned on the light casually.
Ji Min felt disgusted by this answer for a few seconds.
But soon, he retracted his earlier judgment about Lu Ran being an unqualified “kidnapper”.
Because when he looked down, he realized that his wheelchair had just run over something.
It turned out to be a person.
Still lying on the ground, he looked as if he were completely out cold.
Lu Ran turned his back to Ji Min and pulled Zhang Lin aside.
He glanced back at the man behind him, whose expression was serious.
“Mr. Ji, right? Could you please be quiet for a moment?”
“Although I appreciate your help, I’m not in a good mood right now and would prefer not to have you ruin my plan.”
Ji Min listened calmly to his “threat”.
Now that the lights were on, he noticed that the person on the ground was lying down, but the boy standing was not in great shape either.
His hair was disheveled and there were signs of a struggle on him.
The zipper of his sweatshirt was half undone and there were red marks on his neck where fingers had been.
His once lively black eyes were now half-closed, making it hard to see what lay behind them.
In an instant, Ji Min was reminded of the first time he met Lu Ran.
That time, Lu Ran had been standing in the street, cradling a dog that had been hit by a car.
He looked like he had a hundred thoughts racing through his mind, trying to navigate the wealthy boy in the sports car in front of him.
But his body was tense and guarded, his eyes seemed to hide an almost desperate madness.
Ji Min lowered his gaze to the ground.
He saw that the one lying there was the Zhang family’s wasteful son.
This person was sprawled out, his pants’ belt half undone.
Ji Min frowned.
He was about to instruct the boy in front of him that in situations like this, he should call the police, not drag a bystander into it.
But when he looked down, he saw Lu Ran crouched down, continuing to tug at Zhang Lin’s pants.
Even Ji Min was stunned for two seconds.
He started to wonder who the real victim was.
After a brief moment of shock, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“Taking off clothes,” Lu Ran replied without looking up.
Ji Min remained silent for a while.
He seemed to think of something, then rubbed his forehead and said, “Why are you always taking off clothes?”
Whether it was his own or someone else’s.
“Hmm?” Lu Ran didn’t hear clearly and looked up at him.
Zhang Lin was still a grown man and wasn’t like last time when he had taken laxatives.
So today, it wasn’t too easy for Lu Ran to handle him.
He went to the side, grabbed a wet wipe to clean his face, and then returned.
Thinking of how his hand had just covered Ji Min’s mouth, he offered Ji Min another wipe.
Knowing Ji Min might find it dirty, he casually tossed over a bottle of alcohol spray.
Ji Min took the items and looked back at Lu Ran.
He saw that Lu Ran had quickly stripped Zhang Lin down to almost nothing.
“…”
“What exactly are you doing?” Ji Min asked.
“Nothing much, just taking off his clothes and planning to drag him out,” Lu Ran replied.
Ji Min contemplated the scene for a moment in silence.
He had little patience for the childish antics and raised his hand, preparing to call someone.
Before dialing, and out of respect for their few encounters, he advised, “It’s better to call for help than to handle this yourself.”
“Call for help?” Lu Ran laughed, turning to look at him. “Who should I call? Who would help me?”
His tone was sharp.
Ji Min unconsciously paused his actions.
But Lu Ran didn’t stop what he was doing.
His tone remained flat: “Am I supposed to stand in the living room and loudly tell everyone that Zhang Lin wants to sleep with me?”
He tilted his face up to look at Ji Min.
The outer corners of his eyes still held a compliant curve, but his gaze was filled with defiance.
“And then what? Who would help me? Mr. Shen or Mrs. Shen? Or should I expect this guy’s parents to care about him?”
Lu Ran kicked Zhang Lin lightly.
Zhang Lin mumbled something in his sleep.
Ji Min didn’t understand the internal situation of the Shen family.
He remained silent.
Suddenly, Lu Ran thought of something amusing.
He turned to face Ji Min and asked, “Mr. Ji, if you wanted to sleep with me, do you think my father would pack me up and send me to your bed?”
