CFRFGC Chapter 44

⌈”I am going to announce to the world right now that Lu Ran is my son!”⌋

Shen Family.

The door to Shen Xingran’s bedroom on the third floor quietly opened.

Madam Shen placed the spare key she had in her hand aside and tiptoed over to the side of Shen Xingran’s bed.

She lowered her head to look for the scattered hair on the bedding.

After searching for a while, she found nothing.

Feeling a bit disheartened, she sat on the bed, realizing that she was one step too late.

The bed had already been tidied up by the maid.

As Madam Shen came back to her senses, she suddenly felt a wave of annoyance.

What was she doing?

How could she start to suspect that Shen Xingran was actually Shen Hongyuan’s illegitimate child just because she heard a rumor?

It was truly ridiculous.

However, despite thinking this, the knot in her heart remained untied.

In Madam Shen’s mind, Shen Xingran was her most obedient, most understanding, and most caring treasure.

She could never have imagined that Shen Xingran would disregard her reputation and let rumors spread that Lu Ran was an illegitimate child.

Madam Shen couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how hard she thought.

It felt as if her obedient little son had suddenly become a different person.

But if…

If Shen Xingran was indeed Shen Hongyuan’s illegitimate child, then everything would make sense, wouldn’t it?

With this thought, it was easier to explain Shen Xingran’s fear of Lu Ran returning home.

Madam Shen initially wanted to comfort herself, but the more she tried to reassure herself, the more doubts she had.

Eventually, she left the third floor, anxious and worried.

She sent a message to the private detective she had hired earlier, asking him to keep an eye on Shen Xingran.

In the following days, Madam Shen went to the hospital to get some medication to help her sleep better.

The private detective only had a few scattered pieces of information.

Madam Shen’s heart gradually settled down.

But it didn’t take long for her to settle down.

While Madam Shen was out shopping, she unexpectedly received a message from the private detective.

The message contained a photo.

In the photo, Shen Hongyuan was standing in front of a car with Shen Xingran.

The car door was open and inside sat a woman in a white dress.

The woman was looking up at the two and saying something.

The three of them appeared very close, like a happy family of three.

At that moment, a friend of Madam Shen’s happened to peek over.

She complimented, “Wow, who took this candid shot of you guys? Seriously, that white dress looks gorgeous on you.”

Madam Shen’s mind exploded; the nerves that had just begun to relax suddenly tensed up again.

The speaker also sensed that something was off.

This photo…

From this angle, it looked like it had been taken during an affair.

Feeling awkward, she wanted to say something to remedy the situation.

Before she could speak, Madam Shen “sprang” up from her chair.

“Madam, please don’t move yet; the mud mask on your face isn’t dry yet…”

Madam Shen couldn’t care less about the mud mask.

She ripped the towel off her head and hastily wiped her face with her hands.

Without even checking a mirror, she grabbed her coat and bag and rushed out of the store.

She hurried to Shen’s family company.

Seeing her in such a flustered state, Shen Hongyuan’s assistant was a bit surprised and stopped her: “Madam, what brings you here?”

With a frown, Madam Shen replied angrily, “Why can’t I come? Get out of my way!”

She marched straight toward Shen Hongyuan’s office.

The assistant quickly said, “The chairman is in a business meeting!”

“Business meeting? What business are they discussing?”

It seemed the real scandal was indeed true!

Fury surged in Madam Shen as she kicked open the door to Shen Hongyuan’s office.

She even lost one of her small sheepskin high heels in the process.

In the office, Shen Hongyuan was introducing Shen Xingran to a client.

“This is my youngest son who just started university. Since it’s vacation now, I’ve brought him here to learn a few things…”

“I know him, that’s Ranran… our kid often mentions him…”

The client exchanged pleasantries and a hint of satisfaction flashed in Shen Hongyuan’s eyes.

This project was very important and leveraging the relationship with the younger generation was a great way to break through…

Suddenly, there was a loud “bang” as the office door was kicked open and Madam Shen stormed in.

Her face was filled with anger, but upon entering, she found that the woman in the white dress from the photo was not in the room.

She suddenly calmed down.

Her appearance was not perfect and everyone in the room was staring at her.

Madam Shen was still a wealthy matron, after all.

At that moment, she collected herself and let out a long breath, patting her chest.

Looking at Shen Hongyuan, she said reproachfully, “I had a nightmare while getting a facial. When I saw you were fine, I felt relieved.”

Only then did the people in the room show relieved smiles.

The client teased Shen Hongyuan, “Mr. Shen must be very lucky; your wife cares about you so much.”

Beside them, Shen Xingran chimed in with a smile, “Mom always cares the most about Dad.”

Madam Shen smiled too, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

That evening, Madam Shen, Shen Hongyuan, and Shen Xingran all returned home together.

On the surface, they appeared harmonious, but each harbored their own thoughts.

As Shen Hongyuan entered the house, he called over the servant and asked, “Has Lu Ran come back?”

“No,” the servant replied.

Hearing this response, Shen Hongyuan felt a slight sense of relief.

If Lu Ran had once been the household’s air and a part-time punching bag…

After the incident at the dinner table and Lu Ran’s late-night antics, Shen Hongyuan didn’t shout at him much anymore.

After all, Shen Hongyuan occasionally still had to eat and sleep at home.

He glanced at Madam Shen and, with some suspicion, asked, “Have you not been feeling well lately?”

After nearly thirty years of marriage, Shen Hongyuan knew Madam Shen very well.

Madam Shen’s kicking down the door today surely isn’t as simple as she claimed.

She rubbed her forehead, remaining silent.

Shen Hongyuan stared at her and said in a deep voice, “This project is very important.”

His words subtly hinted that Madam Shen should not cause trouble.

However, Madam Shen couldn’t help but scoff internally.

The Shen family was largely relying on her eldest son, Shen Xingyu, to hold everything together. What significant project could Shen Hongyuan possibly have?

Suddenly, she reminded herself.

Although she was easily swayed by her emotions, she had seen enough of the complexities in big families.

She knew that even though she suspected her adopted son was a bastard, she didn’t have concrete evidence.

If she were to speak out, wouldn’t that just alert the snake in the grass?

Moreover, she had nothing to fear.

After all, she had three sons.

Even if Shen Xingran was Shen Hongyuan’s illegitimate child, she still had Lu Ran to serve as a stand-in, right?

At that moment, Lu Ran happened to return, walking his dog.

Madam Shen suddenly pointed at Lu Ran and said, “I’ve been feeling uneasy lately. After thinking it over, I believe I should recognize Xiao Ran as a member of the Shen family.”

As soon as she said this, the living room fell into a sudden silence.

Lu Ran had just come back and heard such explosive words.

What kind of day was it today?

First, Ji Min wanted to offer him a job, and now the Shen family wanted to recognize him?

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Shen Hongyuan’s gaze flickered momentarily, his tone harsh yet inwardly weak. “I haven’t settled the score with you for what happened last time!”

Last time, when Madam Shen went to confront the supposed illegitimate child, she had vaguely let slip that Lu Ran was her biological son.

Now, rumors were subtly spreading.

Seeing his attitude, Madam Shen’s pent-up anger suddenly erupted as she questioned him,

“What do you mean by that? You can bring Ranran to meet clients today, but my own biological son can’t be recognized, is that it?”

“Stop making a scene!” Shen Hongyuan retorted.

“I am going to announce to the world right now that Lu Ran is my son!” Madam Shen said, reaching for her phone.

Shen Hongyuan immediately stretched out his hand to grab it.

The two were on the verge of a physical altercation over their disagreement.

Lu Ran stood in the hallway and yawned.

Once, he had desperately hoped to hear Madam Shen admit with her own mouth that he was her biological son.

For a single affirmation from her, he was willing to sacrifice a lot.

Including his dignity, even his life.

But now, as he listened to Madam Shen’s words, Lu Ran felt no stirring in his heart.

Because he understood very clearly that when Madam Shen said “my son”, the focus was not on “son”, nor on Lu Ran himself, but rather on that “my”.

Lu Ran calmly watched the farce unfolding in the living room.

He even momentarily shifted his attention to Shen Xingran.

Surprisingly, Shen Xingran, who was also sitting in the living room, did not show any signs of panic upon hearing Madam Shen’s words.

He lowered his gaze, appearing calm as he advised Shen Hongyuan, “Dad… it’s only natural for Mom to want to recognize her child, so please don’t stop her.”

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

What surprised him wasn’t Shen Xingran’s words, but the fact that there was no hint of sarcasm in them.

Instead, there was a sense of… everything unfolding as he expected.

Shen Xingran was so quiet and obedient.

Even though Madam Shen had been angry with him recently, she couldn’t help but glance at him.

Lu Ran watched silently for a while, choosing not to participate.

If he could take this opportunity to officially return to the Shen family, it would be a good thing for him.

Even if he couldn’t, it wouldn’t be much different from his current situation.

Lu Ran lost interest and yawned again before returning to his room.

As he closed the door, the faint sounds of arguing outside continued.

But they became distant and muffled.

Lu Ran changed his clothes and then went to the servant’s bathroom at the end of the hallway to take a shower.

When he returned, Da Huang was already asleep.

The living room had also quieted down.

Lu Ran surprisingly slept for a long time today and didn’t feel particularly tired.

He lay on his bed, memorizing vocabulary for a while, and looked over a few papers sent by his tutor.

Just as he was about to turn off the lights, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Lu Ran paused for a moment and reluctantly opened WeChat.

In the chat window filled with various part-time job listings, a message popped up from a contact named “Great Demon King”: [Have you thought it over?]

Lu Ran: “……”

He recalled what Ji Min had said to him before he left home.

In the dimly lit hallway.

The man sat in a wheelchair, still unable to hide his broad shoulders and long legs.

Although he was clearly a bit shorter than Lu Ran when standing.

There was an underlying pressure that Lu Ran felt.

The job Ji Min offered him was as his personal assistant.

It would be a short-term part-time position during the winter break.

The salary offered was neither high nor low.

For Lu Ran, it was just the right balance, favorable enough that it wouldn’t raise his guard.

But……

Lu Ran stared at the chat window for a while, then carefully considered the help Ji Min had always extended to him.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Many times, Lu Ran also received kindness from strangers.

It felt warm.

But those were often just small acts of kindness, simple interactions that faded away afterward.

This was the first time someone had persistently helped him.

Once, Ji Min had also asked him at a coffee shop if he wanted to look for a new job.

But Lu Ran had declined.

Ji Min’s character and status made him a rather proud person.

Such people, when rejected, often do not look back.

Lu Ran was well aware that initially, he only asked for help to settle Da Huang.

But now…

Lu Ran squeezed his five or six hundred yuan piece of junk phone and rolled over on his bed.

Ji Min probably didn’t lack assistants, right?

Just recently, when he went to drop off Da Huang, he had seen at least five assistants.

Suddenly, Lu Ran thought of something.

He stared at the chat box on his phone as if he were facing a formidable foe.

After a moment, he tentatively sent a message.

Da Huang Doesn’t Wreck the House: [Mr. Ji.]

Da Huang Doesn’t Wreck the House: [May I ask, who do you think is more handsome, me or Zhang Lin?]

Great Demon King: [?]

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