⌈Look at this beautiful man!⌋
Silence.
Absolute silence.
In this silence, someone quietly took out their phone and searched for what a king oyster mushroom looked like.
Ji · King Oyster Mushroom · Min stood frozen in place.
Shen Hongyuan was also stunned.
This direction of madness… how was it so different from the rest?
Inside the door, the boy continued to speak.
He insulted Gu Ningqi until his face turned pale, then pointed at an old man next to him: “So what if he’s in a wheelchair?”
“He’s more formidable sitting in a wheelchair than all of you standing on two legs.”
“By the time the night is over, I’ll need to take a day off the next day.”
“…”
Outside the door.
The man in the wheelchair took a deep breath.
Then he slowly exhaled.
The rise and fall of his chest were very pronounced.
In the end, he couldn’t help but raise his large hand, completely covering his face.
His fingers pressed against his forehead.
The pale skin behind his ears gradually flushed red.
It was hard to tell whether it was anger or frustration.
A group of people stared at him with wide eyes, as if trying to figure out how this man in a wheelchair managed to make someone unable to get out of bed the next day.
Even Butler Chen couldn’t help but cast a surprised glance at Ji Min.
The most flustered was Shen Hongyuan.
Standing beside Ji Min, all the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat.
Had Lu Ran really gone mad?
He had.
But the effect…
How was it different from what he had imagined?
His original intent was to let Ji Min see Lu Ran’s true nature.
Then he would feel disgusted and keep his distance!
But now…
What man would dislike someone who praises their own abilities?
Shen Hongyuan’s lips moved, but he had no idea what to say.
In the end, he managed to stammer out, “Ha! Ha! Ji, Ji Min is truly a formidable youth.”
Ji Min: “…”
As he lowered his hand, he met Shen Hongyuan’s gaze.
He suddenly recalled that, although he was quite incompetent, the person in front of him was indeed Lu Ran’s father.
Thinking back to the words that had just come out of the child’s mouth, Ji Min felt an unusual sense of awkwardness rise within him.
He felt like a rogue who had been caught messing with someone else’s child by the parents.
But he clearly hadn’t done anything.
Inside the room, Lu Ran was still talking.
He was earnestly praising how amazing Ji Min was.
At that moment, if it were possible, Ji Min even wanted to rush in and kneel before him.
He wanted to shout: “Ancestor, please be quiet.”
But now, even remotely controlling the wheelchair to go in felt like a difficult task.
“Ahem…” Ji Min cleared his throat.
He wanted to explain that it was just a child’s nonsense.
However, the words stuck in his throat, making him feel even more like an irresponsible person.
In the end, he decided to let it go and simply leaned back in his chair, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.
Seeing this, Shen Hongyuan sighed inwardly.
As expected!
Look at how beautiful this man is!
Outside, Ji Min was unsure whether he felt beautiful or not.
In the game room, Lu Ran, who was supposed to be engaged to him, was loudly praising another man.
But when it came to him, all he got was a mention of being a “golden needle mushroom”.
Gu Ningqi could no longer sit still.
“Lu Ran, do you have any shame!”
Don’t mention the words “golden needle mushroom” to him!
His face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He suddenly stood up and reached out to grab Lu Ran’s wrist.
It looked like he was about to make a move.
Ji Min’s expression darkened.
He controlled the wheelchair and pushed the door of the game room open.
As the heavy black electric wheelchair appeared, the game room fell silent once more.
This time, it wasn’t a silence of surprise.
It was a silence of fear.
Gossip was only dared to be spoken behind his back.
When Ji Min appeared, those who had been gossiping had even lost their angry expressions.
Gu Ningqi was also taken aback.
Meeting Ji Min’s dark gaze made him instinctively loosen his grip.
“Lu Ran, come here,” Ji Min said in a calm voice.
His tone wasn’t heavy; it could even be considered light.
But Gu Ningqi immediately released his grip and took a step back, looking somewhat shriveled.
The young man’s eyes lit up upon seeing Ji Min.
He quickly hid behind his wheelchair.
Ji Min glanced around the room, his gaze stopping briefly on Gu Ningqi.
Then he reached out to the young man behind him.
“What are you doing?” Lu Ran asked, confused, as he leaned forward.
“Hand,” the man said succinctly.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Ran realized he wanted to see the hand that had just been grabbed.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Lu Ran replied.
Ji Min looked at him but didn’t withdraw his hand.
The young man obediently extended his hand over.
He showed none of the arrogance he had just displayed while “debating eloquently” and “arguing his case”.
Inside and outside the game room, everyone saw the man’s pale fingers gently holding the young man’s wrist.
He examined it closely as if checking a fragile piece of art, frowning in concentration.
He undid his black obsidian cufflink and rolled up the silk shirt cuff to confirm that the pale skin underneath bore no bruises.
Only then did he carefully wrap the wrist.
He smoothed out the wrinkles in the cuff before finally releasing his grip.
He didn’t say much.
He simply looked at Gu Ningqi and said, “I will provide some advice to Old Master Gu regarding your heir’s assessment.”
At just those words, Gu Ningqi’s face instantly turned pale.
The crowd understood the implication behind this and was in an uproar internally.
So Gu Ningqi considered himself the heir of the Gu family, yet he hadn’t actually passed the assessment?
Could it be that Ji Min could intervene in the Gu family’s heir assessment?
Ignoring everyone else in the room, Ji Min leaned back in his chair and loosened his grip on the wheelchair’s remote control.
He glanced at the young man behind him and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
Lu Ran immediately understood and pushed the wheelchair outside.
As they exited the game room, the guests lingering in the lobby were momentarily taken aback to see someone pushing Ji Min’s wheelchair out.
Who didn’t know that this head of the Ji family had a strange temper and despised anyone touching his wheelchair?
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the person standing behind him was actually the young master of the Shen family who had just been recognized and brought back home.
Everyone was taken aback again.
Some people instinctively moved closer.
Butler Chen knew that Ji Min disliked socializing, so he stepped forward.
Ji Min completely ignored the gazes from outside.
His mind was filled with the provocative words he had just heard.
What was with all that talk about golden needle mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms?
For a while, he might not want to see those two ingredients on the dining table again.
Suppressing the heat rising behind his ears, Ji Min resisted the impulse to rub his forehead and slightly turned his gaze to the young man behind him.
He thought he would see the child looking embarrassed and unable to show his face…
To his surprise, Lu Ran was humming a tune while pushing him along.
It was impossible to tell that he had just done something explosive or said anything outrageous.
Even Ji Min was momentarily bewildered by his attitude.
He began to self-reflect.
Was he overreacting?
Then, Ji Min recalled how Lu Ran had calmly rinsed a cup in the toilet water before.
For a moment, he felt that Lu Ran’s current reaction was quite normal.
Even if one day the child caused a commotion, he would probably still act like this.
Lu Ran truly didn’t feel much about it.
Moreover, he was quite excited.
He hadn’t expected that his hard work and serious demeanor outside would actually be noticed by the boss.
He wondered if Ji Min would show some mercy and give him a promotion and raise.
Since they were already “ex-boyfriends”, a promotion might not be necessary.
But a raise could definitely be on the table!
When Ji Min looked up, he met the child’s bright, sparkling eyes.
The phrase “he’s bigger than a king oyster mushroom” flashed through his mind again.
Suddenly, he felt a bit uneasy.
He cleared his throat and, lowering his voice, coldly asked, “What are you staring at me for?”
“Boss, don’t you have any response?” Lu Ran tried to hint.
What response?
If he was going to inquire about this, he needed to find a quiet place.
With so many people around, what could he say?
Ji Min pressed the corners of his forehead lightly and said, “Just push the wheelchair properly.”
He pointed down the corridor, indicating, “Go that way.”
Lu Ran stared at him for a while and realized that Ji Min truly had no intention of giving him a raise.
He couldn’t help but curse in his heart, calling him a miser.
His interest in work plummeted and he slumped against the back of the wheelchair, pushing himself forward lethargically.
Ji Min: “…”
“Are you a turtle or something?” he asked.
“This wheelchair is just too heavy,” Lu Ran muttered.
Ji Min consoled himself not to be angry.
He would wait until they got to a private place to address the matter.
He would teach this kid how to speak properly.
However, before they could enter the corridor, they were stopped again.
It was Shen Hongyuan accompanied by Madam Shen.
Both of them looked rather unwell.
One had worked tirelessly only to see his plans fall through while putting on a facade of a caring father.
The other had been judged for a long time by the ladies coming and going at the banquet. Now, she had no idea how to face Lu Ran.
In the end, it was still Shen Hongyuan who forced a smile and said to Ji Min, “I need to take Xiao Ran over.”
After all, the banquet had been organized to introduce Lu Ran.
Now that all the guests had arrived, they needed to go through the motions and let the main character make an appearance.
Lu Ran was still holding onto the armrest at the back of Ji Min’s wheelchair.
He looked up at the throng of people in the banquet hall, then glanced down at Ji Min.
The man in the wheelchair looked gloomy and quiet.
Despite being unable to walk, he somehow conveyed an indescribable sense of reassurance.
“Then can I go?” Lu Ran asked.
“Go ahead,” Ji Min nodded at him.
Lu Ran followed Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen out of the corridor and into the banquet hall.
He looked back one last time.
Ji Min’s wheelchair remained in place, his dark eyes filled with silent encouragement.
Lu Ran, alongside Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen, stood on the central round platform of the banquet.
Shen Hongyuan took the microphone and began a formal speech.
He expressed his sorrow over the loss of his youngest son and his joy upon finding him.
Lu Ran quickly grew impatient with the speech.
He reached out and snatched the microphone from Shen Hongyuan’s hands.
Then, he scanned the dazed crowd below.
His gaze passed over those who had tried to create trouble for him today but had been shut down.
He also caught sight of Gu Ningqi, who looked pale but was straining to hold himself upright.
And next to him stood Shen Xingran, his smile stiff.
And beside him stood Shen Hongyuan, forcing a fatherly expression.
There was also Madam Shen, who looked obviously unsettled.
Lu Ran stood on the platform and suddenly smiled.
He said, “I am Lu Ran and I am also Shen Xingran. I’m back.”
As he spoke these words, the expressions on some faces changed dramatically.
But Lu Ran had already tossed the microphone aside. He jumped off the round platform and walked toward the corridor.
Ji Min’s wheelchair was already out in the corridor.
He was lingering at the edge of the main hall, watching Lu Ran from a distance.
Lu Ran slowly pushed Ji Min back down the corridor.
The corridor was long.
After a while, Lu Ran suddenly felt a bit tired.
He stopped and shook his hands, complaining, “This wheelchair is really heavy to push.”
For once, Ji Min didn’t retort.
He said nothing, simply sitting in the wheelchair and quietly watching the boy before him.
At the other end of the corridor was the entrance to the main hall.
The sounds of laughter and conversation from the hall spread into the corridor, occasionally mixed with the voices of Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen chatting with guests.
Lu Ran’s name was mentioned from time to time.
The sound gradually faded as it traveled through the long, silent corridor.
It was like the distorted background noise in a movie.
The elegantly dressed boy let his arms fall and fell silent.
He untied the little dog’s leash and let the dog go play in the backyard.
He didn’t care about himself, casually grabbing a piece of paper to sit on the lid of a trash can by the window in the corridor.
The lights in the corridor weren’t particularly bright.
The dim, slightly cold light fell, causing even the golden glitter he had intentionally sprinkled in his hair to lose its luster.
Amid the distant pleasantries between Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen, he sat casually on the trash can lid, staring blankly at the water pool in the backyard.
There was no water in the pool.
They were afraid that mischievous children among the guests might accidentally fall in.
But it was beautifully decorated, with a ring of balloons and fairy lights around the pool.
The boy quietly gazed at the pool, lost in thought.
After a while, a deliberately softened voice broke the silence: “Why are you unhappy?”
The cool tone echoed gently in the corridor, strangely conveying a sense of tenderness.
Lu Ran’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
“I’m not,” he replied. “Everyone’s back; what’s there to be angry about?”
He just felt inexplicably tired.
Ji Min looked at the boy in front of him.
He had just been at the banquet, arguing with a group of scholars, making one remark that silenced another.
It left a whole crowd looking pale and ashen.
Clearly victorious, yet in the blink of an eye, it felt as if all his candy had been taken away and he was quietly sitting alone in a corner.
Disappointment enveloped him completely.
Ji Min had originally planned to pull him over and interrogate him.
But seeing the boy’s expression, he thought better of it; it was just a small matter, something that could wait until later.
Da Huang came running back from the backyard with a “thud thud thud”.
Lu Ran jumped down from the trash can, squatted down, and pulled out a wet wipes to wipe the dog’s paws.
It seemed he had quickly cheered himself up.
He looked up and smiled at Ji Min, saying, “Actually, this is a good thing; I worked so hard to act fierce!”
After saying that, he glanced back down at the little dog, pinched its paw pads, and corrected himself.
“Ah, Da Huang is also riding on someone else’s coattails.”
He spoke these words with such candor.
Ji Min couldn’t help but curve his eyes into a slight smile.
The cold and silent depths of his gaze rippled with a gentle warmth.
He watched as the boy began to play with the little dog.
Looking down at his watch, he said, “Let’s go; I want to take you somewhere.”
