CFRFGC Chapter 49

⌈Ji Min watched Lu Ran carry the cup into the bathroom…⌋

The host was momentarily taken aback by Ji Min’s introduction.

It was the first time Ji Min had ever introduced anyone like that.

It wasn’t as though he seemed overtly protective, yet he was undeniably more lenient toward the boy.

Unable to fully grasp Ji Min’s stance, the host ultimately decided to treat it exactly as Ji Min had said.

Lu Ran grabbed his food. Remembering Ji Min’s advice, he returned to Ji Min’s side.

Sure enough, Ji Min was here to discuss business.

When Lu Ran approached, Ji Min was seated at a round table, with Butler Chen standing behind him.

Lu Ran quickly polished off the food on his plate and stood nearby.

Across from Ji Min sat two people.

One of them was the blonde foreigner who had been chattering in Italian outside.

Initially, Lu Ran thought Ji Min was here to negotiate with a foreign company.

But he soon realized that the young master from the Lino family, despite his blond hair and blue eyes, actually had a full-blooded Chinese father.

Lu Ran, imitating Butler Chen, lowered his head and stood there, occasionally glancing over the railing to observe the ground floor below.

He was lost in thought, vaguely recognizing the Lino family’s name.

Just then, he felt a jolt as his shoulder was bumped.

Lu Ran glanced up and saw a strikingly attractive man. A mixed-race individual, his face was distinct and memorable, and he wore a devil-may-care smile.

“Jin!” the second young master called out to the newcomer.

Seeing him, Lu Ran suddenly remembered why the Lino name seemed so familiar.

Jin Lino.

The eldest young master of the Lino family—the very one who was one of Shen Xingran’s love interests.

They were fated to play an “enemies-to-lovers” story.

Years ago, the Lino family had moved overseas, but before leaving, they’d had a long-standing feud with Old Master Shen’s generation.

The Shen and Lino families were sworn enemies.

None of this concerned Lu Ran.

By the time this storyline kicked in, he would be long gone from the Shen family, beginning a life of hiding and dodging.

What disgusted Lu Ran was—

The Shen family didn’t want to recognize him. Whenever there was enjoyment to be had, he was never a part of it.

In the end, when the Lino family launched their indiscriminate attacks on the Shen family, Lu Ran was caught up in it, too.

While he scraped by working odd jobs outside, the Shen family would step on him whenever they felt like it, and then the Lino family would target him just as easily in their dealings with the Shens.

Did they all think he was an easy target?

Lu Ran kept his gaze lowered, his expression calm and unreadable.

As Jin approached, he cast a downward glance at Ji Min, focusing particularly on his legs.

There was something about that look—Lu Ran couldn’t quite put it into words, but just witnessing it made him feel deeply uncomfortable. It was as though Jin was taking a twisted pleasure in exposing Ji Min’s vulnerability, digging into it with a knife.

“This is the eldest young master of the Lino family,” the interpreter introduced.

Then Jin circled to the other side of the table, casually chatting in Italian with his brother and father, exchanging some words that made all three of them laugh lightly, casting sidelong glances at Ji Min.

The interpreter, hearing this, broke into a cold sweat, while Butler Chen’s brow furrowed.

Lu Ran didn’t need to understand the language to guess—it probably had something to do with Ji Min’s legs.

He assumed Ji Min likely understood, too.

Yet, surprisingly, Ji Min’s face remained completely serene. He was so composed that he politely waited for the trio to finish laughing, only then calmly resuming the business at hand, his tone as steady as ever.

Seeing that he couldn’t understand them, the two young masters from the Lino family only grew more mocking. But for some reason, their father’s expression turned slightly more serious.

The negotiation dragged on for quite some time.

Lu Ran was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Ji Min to hold such a stance in the business world. Impeccable and unyielding, he was willing to completely ignore the mocking glances if it meant securing his objectives, conducting himself like a true businessman—calculating to the last detail.

Lu Ran kept his head down, his expression obedient, quietly marveling at how hard it must be to be a CEO. Even in the face of such derision, Ji Min had to remain composed and professional.

Unbeknownst to him, his well-behaved appearance had started to draw some attention.

Partway through the negotiation, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. Lu Ran decided to turn and grab a bit more to eat.

As Lu Ran took a step forward, someone blocked his way.

Looking up, he saw it was the eldest son of the Lino family, who had extended a leg to stop him.

“Your eyes are beautiful,” the man said, flashing a smile and giving Lu Ran a slow once-over from head to toe.

His Mandarin was halting, with a thick accent.

Lu Ran said nothing.

Then, with a glint of malice in his eye, the man added in that awkward Mandarin, “They’ll look even prettier when you’re kneeling between my legs, looking up at me.”

His words plunged the room into a freezing silence.

Ji Min’s expression darkened slowly.

Just then, Jin gave a radiant smile. “Just joking,” he said, eyes narrowing as he shrugged. “Can’t help it—when I see a beauty, I just run my mouth.”

Hearing this, his younger brother Yan burst out laughing.

Their father didn’t react, nor did he intervene.

Lu Ran’s face remained impassive. There wasn’t a hint of the anger or humiliation that one might expect from someone his age after being insulted like that. Head lowered, he appeared to be scared to those who didn’t know better.

He sidestepped Jin and continued forward.

Just then, Yan’s wine glass tipped over, spilling red wine down the front of Lu Ran’s pants.

“So sorry about that!” Yan said, overly loud, in his stilted Mandarin.

Ji Min’s voice cut in coolly, “Go clean that up in the restroom.”

Lu Ran acknowledged him with a nod and, stained by the wine, turned to walk away.

A staff member quickly stepped in to lead Lu Ran to the restroom.

Initially, the staff member had thought Ji Min was just bringing along some kid from another family to enjoy the night. Seeing Lu Ran’s modest attire, he couldn’t quite place his background. But to him, Lu Ran seemed like just an ordinary young man.

However, as he led Lu Ran toward the restroom, that impression began to shift.

Lu Ran was calm—far too calm. It wasn’t the calm of a child of his age, nor the submissive quiet of someone who’s used to being bullied. There was no hint of self-pity, either.

This demeanor stirred a bit of uncertainty in the staff member’s mind.

The attendant’s demeanor toward Lu Ran became noticeably more respectful.

Upon reaching the restroom, the attendant asked, “Would you like me to arrange for a clean set of clothes? Need any help?”

“No, that’s okay,” Lu Ran shook his head. “I’ll just clean it up myself.”

Hearing this, the attendant didn’t insist further.

Inside, Lu Ran grabbed some paper towels and a cloth to dab away the wine soaking his clothes. The weather outside was frigid, but the banquet hall’s heating was strong enough that he didn’t feel cold.

As he was cleaning, he heard a faint sound from the restroom entrance.

Turning around, he saw a wheelchair slowly rolling in.

It was Ji Min.

“What are you doing here?” Lu Ran asked.

The man was silent for a moment, his gaze settling on the wine stains on Lu Ran’s clothes. “Aren’t you angry?”

Lu Ran answered candidly, “Of course I’m angry.”

Though he admitted to being upset, his dark eyes showed no anger—just a quiet calm.

Ji Min frowned slightly, studying his eyes for a long moment.

“Then why didn’t you lash out?” he asked.

Lu Ran shrugged. “If you, the boss, are keeping your cool, how could I, an employee, have any reason to lose my temper?”

Ji Min fell silent.

In truth, this business deal wasn’t particularly important; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged to meet in such a setting or brought Lu Ran along. Keeping his composure during negotiations was simply his habitual approach.

Lu Ran tossed the wine-soaked napkins into the trash and picked up the nearby blow dryer to dry his clothes a bit. Once done, he was the first to exit the restroom.

Ji Min was about to follow him out when, at the door, he saw Lu Ran returning with a tray holding three empty glasses.

Ji Min was momentarily taken aback.

He watched as Lu Ran, holding the glasses, re-entered the restroom.

For a moment, Ji Min’s mind couldn’t process what he was seeing; he stood there, stunned.

When he came to his senses, he saw Lu Ran entering the accessible stall with the tray of glasses.

Curious, Ji Min followed and asked in confusion, “Where did you get those glasses?”

“Oh, I asked that uncle out there for them,” Lu Ran replied cheerfully.

Ji Min paused.

In nearly thirty years, he had never seen anyone bring a tray of glasses into a bathroom stall.

He couldn’t imagine what on earth Lu Ran intended to do.

Out of a bewildered curiosity, Ji Min stepped around the partition and stopped in front of the stall door to take a peek.

What he saw made his eyes widen: Lu Ran was holding a tall glass and lowering the rim into the toilet bowl.

As he moved his hand, a crisp, pleasant splashing sound echoed.

Ji Min was rendered completely speechless.

After several seconds, his scalp prickled, and he asked, “What are you doing?”

While busy with his task, Lu Ran looked up at him and explained, “They provoked me. I’m not the kind of person who can just tolerate it; of course, I have to retaliate.”

Lu Ran met Ji Min’s eyes.

“But you’ve helped me a lot, so I can’t get you into trouble. Therefore, I can only manage to retaliate this way, secretly.”

Ji Min’s feelings were quite complex.

On one hand, this scene was far beyond his comprehension; it was absurd and almost ludicrous.

On the other hand, he couldn’t help but feel a tremor of emotion from the sincerity and caution in the boy’s words.

For a moment, Ji Min was at a loss for words.

“And they were really disrespectful to you. Aren’t you angry?” Lu Ran added, not forgetting to include him in the situation.

What surprised Ji Min even more was that, with those innocent black eyes, the boy was calmly explaining himself while his hands continued their task, completely undeterred.

He soaked the glasses one by one in the toilet water.

Despite doing something so absurd and even crazy, Lu Ran’s demeanor remained entirely calm and rational.

At that moment, a striking contrast emerged on Lu Ran’s youthful, innocent face.

Ji Min suddenly became curious.

What had this child experienced to be able to carry out such an act without a change in expression?

After soaking for a few minutes, Lu Ran lifted each glass out one by one.

When he lifted them, he didn’t shake off the water.

The toilet water clung to the walls of the glasses, pooling gradually at the base of the goblets.

Ji Min immediately realized what Lu Ran intended to do.

He rubbed his forehead and said, “Well, even so…”

“They’re being too much. They talked about your legs and said those things about me,” Lu Ran said, looking directly at Ji Min. “Do you have a better way to retaliate?”

Of course, Ji Min had his methods.

In the second half of the negotiation, the people from the Lino family would soon realize their fate.

During the implementation of the project, there would be plenty of ways to make them regret it, even to beg for mercy.

But…

Ji Min glanced at the three glasses on the tray.

For a moment, Ji Min felt that no method could compare to Lu Ran’s… effectiveness.

He fell silent.

The boy continued cheerfully with his task.

After soaking all three glasses, he even leisurely washed his hands before carrying the tray out.

Ji Min followed quietly behind him.

His usually placid state of mind now seemed to be churning with turbulent waves.

He watched as Lu Ran poured full glasses of wine.

The deep red liquid mixed with the transparent fluid at the bottoms of the glasses, ultimately becoming one.

Once Lu Ran finished, drenched in wine, he returned to the round table.

Ji Min trailed behind, observing the boy with his head lowered, looking rather cautious.

He apologized to the three at the table.

“Sorry, I… I do have some connections with the Shen family, but I also can’t stand them! These three glasses of wine are for you three; I hope it won’t affect your mood.”

The boy nervously placed the three glasses in front of the trio.

It seemed he remembered something else. In a flurry, he asked the attendant behind him for a clean empty glass. He carefully held the stem and filled it, then downed it in one go.

He even showcased the bottom of the glass to the three members of the Lino family, saying, “I finished it; you three feel free to enjoy.”

This entire display evidently pleased the three.

After all, he was someone close to Ji Min and things had just gotten a bit awkward.

Business still had to continue.

So, the three graciously raised their glasses and took a sip.

Ji Min returned to the round table.

He watched as the three of them… brought their lips to the rims of the glasses that had just soaked in the toilet.

Lu Ran was still performing.

Seeing the three finally drink, he cautiously let out a sigh of relief.

Then, he stood a bit further away, pretending to be worried about disturbing them.

The three on the opposite side remained oblivious.

Their faces still carried an air of arrogance, as if they looked down on everyone.

At that moment, the typically indifferent Ji Min felt an unprecedented surge of sympathy in his heart.

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