⌈”I am planning to find a formal occasion to introduce him to everyone and officially bring him home.”⌋
In the lobby on the first floor,
Shen Hongyuan was chatting with acquaintances.
His expression was not very pleasant.
The rules of this place were simply absurd.
His son, Shen Xingyu, was a senior member and could go up to the second floor, while he, as the father, could only stay on the first floor.
Even though the Shen family was now managed by Shen Xingyu, this kind of disparity still irritated Shen Hongyuan greatly.
Not to mention that he had given in to his younger son’s pleas and brought Shen Xingran along today.
However, when they arrived, Shen Xingran, being a non-member, was stopped outside.
They said only senior members and above could bring guests in.
Now, Shen Xingran could only wait in the car.
Shen Hongyuan stood outside the elevator on the second floor.
He didn’t want others to notice that he was trying to go up to the second floor but was being blocked, so he held a wine glass and pretended to admire the view from the nearby window.
Some friends around him were discussing.
“Is that guy from the Ji family here today?”
“I heard he’s negotiating with a foreign company.”
Everyone’s thoughts were stirred.
If there was really a big project, it would be beneficial for most of them.
Even if they couldn’t grab anything substantial, it was still good to be able to drink the soup.
But they wondered if they could seize this opportunity.
When Ji Min was mentioned, someone asked.
“Doesn’t he have a young man with him?”
“Seems like it. Not sure whose child he is, but he looks quite good.”
Shen Hongyuan, overhearing this, suddenly felt a spark of interest.
Ji Min…
He wondered what kind of person he was.
It might be a good idea for Xingran to get to know him.
His younger son was quite adept at social interactions.
At this moment, an acquaintance looked at Shen Hongyuan and asked, “Didn’t you say you were bringing Xingran today? Why didn’t he come?”
This question nearly pierced through Shen Hongyuan’s chest.
Of course, he couldn’t tell the truth.
He only said, “The child got a bit excited and now feels it’s too noisy, saying they don’t want to come anymore.”
After he answered, the person who had just asked leaned in a little closer.
He elbowed Shen Hongyuan and asked, “What’s going on with your wife lately? I heard from my son that you have a biological son out there somewhere?”
Gossip in high society always attracted attention.
As soon as this person spoke, the focus of those around them shifted from Ji Min to him.
Even one of Shen Hongyuan’s old friends said, “I heard he’s not even a bastard. If he’s biological, how could he end up lost out there?”
Shen Hongyuan’s heart sank.
This was not the first time he had been asked this recently.
Last time, Madam Shen had publicly gone to find the “bastard”, inadvertently exposing Lu Ran’s identity.
Moreover, Lu Ran had caused quite a stir before.
Families like the Chen and Lin families present had long known about Lu Ran’s identity.
Rumors spread from one to ten and from ten to a hundred.
The last time Shen Hongyuan went to the company, there were already whispers in the boardroom.
Changes in the Shen family were always of significant concern.
Shen Hongyuan’s expression darkened slightly.
At that moment, a hint of fierceness flashed in his eyes.
Shen Hongyuan would not allow anyone to truly disrupt the peace and interests of the Shen family.
It seemed Lu Ran could not be kept around any longer.
He needed to find an opportunity to send him away and keep an eye on him.
Shen Hongyuan’s mind raced, thinking of excuses.
Just as he was preparing to come up with a way to brush off the rumors, suddenly, the attendant at the elevator entrance on the second floor grew tense.
Then, with a “ding”, the elevator came to a stop.
This alert sound was more effective than anything else.
The people who had been eagerly watching Shen Hongyuan all turned their heads in unison, gazing at the elevator entrance.
Those who could go up to the second floor were all on a different level compared to the first floor.
Regardless of whether they were the most eye-catching ones, it was always good to be able to strike up a conversation.
Amidst the various expressions from the crowd, the elevator doors quietly slid open.
The person in charge stepped out first, bowing slightly as he waited outside.
Then, Ji Min’s wheelchair gently rolled out.
Some people remembered the initial rumors.
Instinctively, they looked up to see who was pushing Ji Min’s wheelchair.
They hoped to pinpoint the style.
Maybe they could cater to his preferences too.
However, once they glanced over, everyone was completely stunned.
On the wide, sturdy wheelchair of Ji Min sat a young boy.
The boy was slender, nestled in the broad, tall arms of Ji Min.
He looked like a well-behaved cat.
He was leaning against Ji Min’s chest, fast asleep.
His entire body was covered by a dark blue cashmere blanket, leaving only a small part of his pale face and soft, fluffy black hair exposed.
For those with keen eyes, they could see the boy’s milky-white cheek pressed against the diamond lapel pin on the man’s chest.
It had rubbed a small red mark on his face.
Shen Hongyuan also craned his neck to take a look.
When his gaze landed on Ji Min’s embrace, he froze instantly.
Lu Ran?
It was actually Lu Ran?
At that moment, Shen Hongyuan found himself unable to describe his feelings.
He had heard that recently, Ji Min had been accompanied by a boy of no more than a certain age.
The boy seemed to come from a poor family.
He had no idea how he had caught Ji Min’s eye.
Ji Min had even inexplicably allowed this child to touch his wheelchair.
But Shen Hongyuan never expected that this boy would turn out to be his biological son, lost for fifteen years and utterly worthless.
If Ji Min were holding Shen Xingran, who was waiting in the car outside, Shen Hongyuan would not have been shocked.
But how could it be Lu Ran?
Or rather…
How could it possibly be Lu Ran!
Shen Hongyuan’s impression of this son was still stuck in the past.
Half a year ago, Madam Shen had impatiently called him, urging him to undergo a paternity test.
Shen Hongyuan thought she was just being absurd.
It was only when he went to find out that it was indeed the son he had lost.
At that time, Shen Hongyuan was somewhat surprised.
How could such a small child have survived that flash flood all those years ago?
Shen Hongyuan instinctively sensed a conspiracy.
Perhaps someone knew that they had lost a child back then and deliberately found an orphan to muddle the waters.
Unfortunately, after several paternity tests, it was confirmed that he was indeed his son.
Shen Hongyuan still remembers the first day Lu Ran returned to the Shen family.
He stood in the spacious, bright living room, appearing awkward and out of place.
After fifteen years away, he bore the timid appearance shaped by poverty.
He was useless.
Not even half as useful as Shen Xingran.
Shen Hongyuan easily concluded his judgment on this son.
He completely ignored him, only venting his frustration at Lu Ran’s flaws whenever he was in a bad mood.
Until one day, this obedient son suddenly changed.
It even made Shen Hongyuan a little afraid.
But no matter how much he fussed, it was all just trivial family squabbles.
When Shen Hongyuan grew tired of it, he would just escape outside.
Yet, for some reason, this child, who should have been quietly overshadowed, frequently appeared in rumors related to the Shen family.
First, he caused a scene right in front of the Shen family’s gate, making the wealthy circles nearby aware that a stranger child had moved into the Shen household.
Then, the rumors about the illegitimate child, which initially had little traction, grew more and more rampant, to the point where even Shen Xingran, who had spread the rumors, could not contain it.
Eventually, Madam Shen took the initiative to reveal the falsehood of this so-called “illegitimate child”.
She practically unveiled Lu Ran’s identity herself.
And now, here they were.
Shen Hongyuan never expected that one day, he would see Lu Ran in such a setting and under these circumstances.
He watched, wide-eyed.
Ji Min was holding Lu Ran, sitting in his wheelchair, as they passed right in front of him.
The wheelchair moved into the crowd.
The boy, who had been sleeping soundly in Ji Min’s embrace, suddenly stirred.
He groggily lifted his head.
The dark blue blanket slipped a little, revealing his entire face.
Shen Hongyuan saw his son, whom he had never cared for, peering out from Ji Min’s arms.
Those obediently curved black eyes accurately found him amidst the noisy crowd of the banquet.
The boy sat in Ji Min’s lap. In front of everyone at the banquet, in a dazed yet clear tone, called out to Shen Hongyuan: “Dad?”
In an instant, all eyes at the banquet shot toward Shen Hongyuan like sharp needles.
Shen Hongyuan had nowhere to hide and could not evade it.
The carefully prepared responses he had thought of moments ago became useless in an instant.
Ji Min’s wheelchair happened to stop as he turned to look at Shen Hongyuan.
“Is the head of the Shen family here?” the man said calmly.
Seeing Ji Min speak, the people around, their thoughts suddenly enlivened, immediately jumped in.
“Old Shen, is this your biological son who has been lost for so long?”
“Don’t you want to introduce him to us?”
“Oh, knowing this, we should have prepared some gifts from the elders in advance.”
In the flurry of chatter, Shen Hongyuan became the center of attention.
He looked toward the man in the wheelchair and the boy in his arms.
At that moment, Shen Hongyuan’s mind raced with thoughts.
The next second, his expression changed; he forced a warm smile and announced to those around him.
“This is my youngest son.”
“He got lost when he was a child and my family was heartbroken. My father fell seriously ill because of it. We searched for many years and only found him recently.”
“I was planning to introduce him to everyone in a formal setting and officially bring him back home.”
“Who would have thought we’d meet today first?”
“But don’t worry, everyone. At the latest, next month, he’ll officially meet all of you.”
Shen Hongyuan was a seasoned veteran in business.
Even at this moment, he didn’t forget to make a joke. “My youngest son has been lost for over ten years, so he definitely deserves a big welcome gift!”
He spoke with bravado, but someone wasn’t giving him face.
Just as the crowd was about to chime in excitedly, they heard the boy in the wheelchair timidly say, “Dad, why did you suddenly want to bring me home?”
Shen Hongyuan’s expression froze.
The eyes of the crowd began to fill with suspicion.
In front of everyone, Lu Ran even shrank back into Ji Min’s embrace, his face full of fear as he said, “Didn’t you say I should stay as far away as possible? Are you bringing me home now to punish me?”
The surroundings fell completely silent.
A group of older gentlemen stared at Shen Hongyuan with scrutinizing gazes.
What did this mean?
Was his biological son not allowed to enter the house?
This head of the Shen family looked respectable, yet he was hitting his child?
Ji Min in the wheelchair also raised an eyebrow at Shen Hongyuan.
Shen Hongyuan’s face turned green.
But facing the crowd’s gazes and glancing at Ji Min in the wheelchair, he still forced a gentle expression: “What are you talking about, child? It was inconvenient before, but I will definitely bring you home now.”
After saying this, he moved in front of Ji Min’s wheelchair.
With a concerned expression, he looked at the boy nestled in Ji Min’s lap and asked, “Why are you sleeping so soundly? Did you drink?”
He then turned to Ji Min: “Mr. Ji, thank you for taking care of this child.”
This was the first time Shen Hongyuan spoke to Lu Ran in such a fatherly tone.
Although Lu Ran had just caused Shen Hongyuan some trouble, he was now lost in thought.
His attention was not on Shen Hongyuan.
He only vaguely heard the man stop speaking and then tried to wriggle a bit, wanting to jump down from the man behind him.
He naturally intended to follow Shen Hongyuan away.
But as soon as he moved, an arm wrapped around his waist.
The arm didn’t use much strength, just resting loosely under the blanket.
Yet through the thin sweatshirt, Lu Ran could feel the muscle lines of the man’s arm and the inherent sense of power within it.
Ji Min’s knuckles were quite broad.
With his fingers spread, he could effortlessly cover most of Lu Ran’s waist.
Sensing this extremely subtle yet constraining force, Lu Ran’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment. Like a quail, he obediently nestled back into the blanket.
“Mr. Shen.”
Ji Min’s calm voice whispered near Lu Ran’s ear, “I will personally take your young master home tonight.”
The person in charge nearby felt a jolt in his heart.
No wonder Ji Min had just said he treated this boy like a young master.
He truly was a young master.
Shen Hongyuan felt slightly choked but did not voice any objections.
After Ji Min dropped that remark, he continued to hold Lu Ran and left on his own.
The remaining crowd was left buzzing with loud discussions.
