⌈”It’s you!”⌋
The birthday banquet for Shen Hongyuan had ended.
However, the joke about the Zhang family had spread.
Although discussions within the circle were somewhat restrained due to Ji Min’s status, gossip is an inherent part of human nature.
Now and then, someone would vividly describe Zhang Lin running out bare-bottomed.
But Ding Wei was completely unaware.
After leaving Lu Ran yesterday, he informed Zhang Lin and then excused himself, claiming a stomach ache, to hide in the restroom.
Later, he left the banquet early.
Since it was his first time doing something like this, Ding Wei felt panicked, afraid others would connect him to the incident.
He kept telling himself that it was Lu Ran’s fortune to catch the eye of the young master of the Zhang family.
Yet he couldn’t help but worry about what he would do if Lu Ran decided to pursue the matter.
But after a few days, when he noticed Lu Ran hadn’t sought him out for trouble and hadn’t heard of any incidents involving Lu Ran, Ding Wei gradually relaxed.
As expected, after such an event, Lu Ran would be too afraid to make a fuss.
After all, he was an orphan with no one to back him up; what was there to shout about?
It was better to cling to Young Master Zhang’s leg.
Ding Wei was also curious about the scene from that day, so he couldn’t help but start to probe his classmates who had attended the banquet.
In fact, he had subtly inquired after returning that day, but those people had all kept tight-lipped, looking as if they had seen something unspeakable.
Ding Wei could understand that.
An incident had occurred at such a large banquet and it certainly couldn’t be leaked.
But now, several days had passed and Ding Wei found opportunities to ask a few more times, “Did anything happen at the banquet that day?”
His classmates were shocked. “You don’t know about such a big thing?”
Ding Wei forced himself to stay calm. “What happened?”
The classmates exchanged glances and hinted at him. “You know, that Young Master Zhang was caught… bare… cough cough.”
As they spoke, they blinked twice, prompting Ding Wei to figure it out.
“Oh…”
Ding Wei completely relaxed.
It seemed that the matter had been accomplished.
If that was the case, wouldn’t it be necessary to be bare?
While feeling relieved, Ding Wei began to look forward to the promise Zhang Lin would make to him.
After all, that was their professional guarantee for graduate school!
With that spot, he could just coast through the next three years of college.
By then, he could watch Lu Ran hustle for credits, desperately chasing after the things he already possessed.
That would be so satisfying.
In addition to the guarantee, he had also helped Zhang Lin this time, becoming somewhat familiar in front of Young Master Zhang.
In a sense, he had one foot in the circle of those rich kids. Who knows, he might even get into the elite college next year!
Ding Wei eagerly awaited Zhang Lin’s gratitude.
But as he waited and waited, Zhang Lin seemed to have evaporated, not showing up at all.
Ding Wei even went to the elite college’s teaching building several times to lie in wait, but he still didn’t encounter Zhang Lin looking for Shen Xingran.
As he waited, Ding Wei began to feel anxious again.
A few days later, Ding Wei ran into Zhang Lin at the laboratory door.
Ding Wei thought: Here he is!
He smiled and stepped forward to greet him, “Young Master Zhang!”
Suppressing the jealousy within himself, he plastered on a cheerful expression. “Here to find Lu Ran, right?”
At this, Zhang Lin slowly turned his head, staring at Ding Wei with a terrifying gaze. “Do you have the face to bring up Lu Ran with me?”
Ding Wei was puzzled.
He thought Zhang Lin was defending Lu Ran, his bed partner.
But he still jokingly bumped Zhang Lin’s shoulder. “Hey, without my help, how would you have had that experience the other day?”
He was trying to take credit for it.
However, upon hearing this, Zhang Lin suddenly understood. “So it was you!”
“Yeah, it’s me! Did you forget?” Ding Wei replied cheerfully.
He even winked at Zhang Lin. “So, how was it? Are you satisfied with what happened at the banquet that night?”
From Ding Wei’s fawning look, Zhang Lin saw a strong provocation.
“I knew it! I was wondering why Lu Ran was still awake; it was because of you!”
Ding Wei was taken aback and didn’t react in time before his scalp stung with pain.
Zhang Lin grabbed his hair and pulled him into a corner, then kicked him repeatedly.
“Weren’t we talking about the graduate school guarantee?” Ding Wei asked, still in confusion.
Thinking he was being mocked, Zhang Lin hit harder. “Guarantee! Guarantee your ancestors! If I can’t deal with Lu Ran, I’ll deal with you!”
After beating him up, Zhang Lin walked away.
Leaving behind a bewildered Ding Wei, who was still unclear about what had happened.
Meanwhile, things were not peaceful in the Shen household.
At Shen Hongyuan’s birthday banquet, Ji Min finally managed to show up.
Unfortunately, something so humiliating had occurred.
Even now, before going to bed at night, Shen Hongyuan was still frustrated with himself for not being able to control his foot and kicking out like that.
That kick had ruined Ji Min’s good fortune.
But deep down, Shen Hongyuan still held onto a sliver of hope.
He observed that Ji Min’s final attitude towards the Zhang family wasn’t very favorable. Who would ultimately take over that project from the Ji family was still uncertain.
However, after several days passed, Shen Hongyuan did not receive any contact from the Ji family.
It was as if Ji Min had come to congratulate him out of an impulse.
A few more days went by.
Finally, the highly sought-after project was finalized.
The entity taking over was neither the Shen family nor the Zhang family, but rather a well-known company from another province.
Shen Hongyuan’s remaining business instinct told him that both he and the Zhang family had been played by Ji Min.
Initially giving hope to the Zhang family, then attending his birthday banquet was merely a small tactic during Ji Min’s negotiations with that company.
Neither the Zhang family nor the Shen family were what Ji Min wanted.
But Shen Hongyuan couldn’t accept this because of his pride, so he pondered and convinced himself that he had overthought it.
Yet, seeing the project slipping away from his grasp, his anger needed an outlet.
At the dining table, Shen Xingran was bowing his head, sending a message.
When Shen Hongyuan looked at someone he disliked, everything about that person grated on him.
He asked in a deep voice, “What are you doing instead of eating properly?”
Shen Xingran had been spoiled by his family.
He had seen Shen Hongyuan lose his temper many times, usually directed at Lu Ran, or Shen Xingzhuo, or even Shen Xingyu.
Even Madam Shen occasionally couldn’t escape his wrath.
But Shen Xingran had never been scolded.
Thus, even when he sensed something off in Shen Hongyuan’s tone, he casually replied, “I’m messaging Brother Lin. He went through such a terrible experience, so of course…”
Only after saying this did Shen Xingran realize something was wrong.
Shen Hongyuan raised his gaze to look at him. “Zhang Lin, Zhang Lin! It’s always about Zhang Lin with you. Since when did you get so close to him? He’s engaged; why are you getting so chummy with him?”
The tone of his words practically accused Shen Xingran of wanting to be a mistress.
Although Shen Xingran did indeed want that.
Being called out like this by Shen Hongyuan made his eyes redden immediately.
Shen Hongyuan also realized he had been too harsh and his expression softened slightly.
Madam Shen, sitting beside them, couldn’t hold back any longer and frowned as she questioned, “What do you mean by that? Why are you talking to Ranran like this?”
This retort ignited Shen Hongyuan’s anger again.
“Did I say anything wrong? What does it matter if he contacts Zhang Lin? Is a grown man like Zhang Lin going to get lost?”
“Isn’t Ranran just being kind?”
Shen Hongyuan pointed at Shen Xingran. “If he was being kind, why didn’t he tell you directly? Why did he have to come over when I was talking to Butler Chen?”
Shen Xingran was suddenly exposed. He lowered his head to hide the guilt in his eyes.
He was filled with rage.
After preparing for so long, not only had he failed to completely undermine Lu Ran, but he had also drawn scorn upon himself.
Why had that cold, indifferent Mr. Ji shown up in Lu Ran’s room?
And what was up with Zhang Lin’s demeanor…
Shen Xingran only knew that Zhang Lin wanted to humiliate Lu Ran by stripping him naked.
But looking back at that day’s situation…
Zhang Lin couldn’t really want to be with Lu Ran…
Hiding behind Madam Shen, Shen Xingran felt a surge of anger and panic as if something precious was being taken away from him.
Meanwhile, Madam Shen and Shen Hongyuan were still arguing.
Shen Hongyuan shouted, “Mr. Ji even praised me for raising a good son!”
His shout echoed down the first-floor corridor, followed by the sound of a door opening.
Before long, Lu Ran walked into the dining room while holding his dog. He found himself face to face with the bickering family of three.
Shen Hongyuan, who was in the middle of his outburst, glanced at Lu Ran and then at the dog in his hand, instinctively closing his mouth and falling silent.
“Why are you guys arguing? It’s so annoying,” Lu Ran said, looking annoyed as if he had just woken up.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t quite evening yet.
But Lu Ran had recently wrapped up his experiments and was finally able to get some early sleep. However, not long after he dozed off, he was awoken by Shen Hongyuan’s shouting.
With heavy-lidded eyes, Lu Ran growled, “If you keep making noise, you can forget about dinner tonight and sleeping at all.”
Mentioning this made Madam Shen quiet down instantly.
The dispute was swiftly quelled by Lu Ran’s few words.
Shen Xingran sat with his back to Lu Ran, feeling no gratitude towards him, only a fiery pain on his cheeks.
Lu Ran ignored him completely, taking the dog out to the yard for a quick bathroom break before heading back to his room, his hair a complete mess.
Shen Hongyuan felt stifled, unable to vent his anger, worried that Lu Ran might actually cause trouble if he did.
In the end, he could only return to his room in a huff.
Madam Shen sat on the sofa, comforting Shen Xingran.
Snuggling into her embrace, Shen Xingran closed his eyes and thought for a moment before asking, “Mom… how did Mr. Ji and Brother Lin end up in my brother’s room that night?”
Madam Shen furrowed her brows and pondered for a while.
But both she and Shen Hongyuan believed it was just an accident, likely because that night Lu Ran’s door was the only one left open, leading them to think it was an empty room.
Shen Xingran trembled in her arms, fear seeping through him. “Mom, Dad won’t get mad and kick me out, right?”
“Of course not!” Madam Shen quickly reassured him.
Shen Xingran cried even harder. “Clearly it was my brother who brought those people into the room; why does Dad have to blame me?”
Madam Shen hated to see Shen Xingran cry.
She immediately commanded a servant, “Go call him over and ask him why he didn’t close the door properly and caused unnecessary trouble.”
The servant paused, thinking why she didn’t just go call him herself.
The servant went off.
After a while, he returned with his tail between his legs and reported to Madam Shen, “Young Master Lu said…”
“‘Young Master’ indeed,” Madam Shen scoffed. “If I acknowledge him, then he’s a young master; if I don’t, he’s nothing.”
The servant felt awkward and didn’t know what to say.
“What did he say?” Madam Shen pressed.
“He said…” The servant was even more embarrassed, “that you have hormonal issues and should go to the hospital.”
Madam Shen nearly fell back in shock.
But she quickly regained her composure, letting out a cold huff. “Does he really think I can’t deal with him?”
That night, Lu Ran had a good sleep.
The next morning, as he left the house, he spotted a piece of paper on the door.
Taking it down to take a look, he found it was a “rent reminder” notice.
Madam Shen sauntered down the stairs leisurely.
Seeing the paper in his hand, she smiled and said, “You’re already over eighteen; how can you just live here for free? It’s time you start paying your share.”
