⌈This Ji Min is definitely not normal!⌋
At that moment, Shen Hongyuan began to doubt if he was hearing things.
Not just hearing things.
He carefully observed Ji Min’s unusually calm attitude, and for a moment, he even began to question himself.
Did he really… say those embarrassing words aloud?
Or was it just something he wanted to say, but his body stopped him because it felt too humiliating?
Is that why Ji Min had no reaction?
The feeling in that moment was subtle.
When the other person’s attitude is too nonchalant, one begins to doubt if the problem lies with themselves.
So, Shen Hongyuan looked at Ji Min suspiciously and tentatively repeated.
“Lu Ran… threw dog poop… on our dining table.”
But after he said it, Ji Min across from him still wore that same indifferent expression.
He nodded and said, “I heard you.”
Shen Hongyuan fell silent again.
After a while, he couldn’t help but add more details, pointing at the dog by Ji Min’s wheelchair.
“It was that dog who did it.”
He thought that at least Ji Min would look at the dog.
But instead, Ji Min replied, “Da Huang’s potty habits are very good, so what exactly did you do?”
Shen Hongyuan fell silent again.
This silence lasted much longer.
Afterward, the faux fatherly aura he had been trying to maintain shattered completely.
With an agitated and desperate tone, he described the situation.
“We were eating and then he let his dog poop like that, throwing it on the table, and even shoved it in our faces, forcing us to apologize, then he threw the bag right onto his second brother’s back!”
As Shen Hongyuan spoke, he leaned forward, his tone almost one of seeking justice.
Ji Min, however, moved slightly, rolling his wheelchair back and pulling the dog beside him a little closer, as if he were protecting it from being startled by Shen Hongyuan.
Seeing Ji Min defend the dog, Shen Hongyuan’s composure finally cracked.
His voice almost broke as he shouted, “Do you know that pile of poop almost hit my face?!”
Perhaps it was his miserable tone and the detailed description that made Ji Min’s expression finally show a trace of sympathy.
This sympathy, however, was not for any other reason.
It was perhaps just the most natural, simple feeling a human might have toward another who had fallen into a pit of filth.
Noticing the sympathy in Ji Min’s eyes, Shen Hongyuan finally relaxed, no longer as frantic as before.
He was right—he couldn’t believe anyone would remain unmoved after hearing something like this!
Shen Hongyuan took a sip of water from the cup on the table to clear his throat, then said, “Apologies, Mr. Ji, I lost my composure.”
He gradually regained his calm.
Ji Min’s reaction was a good sign; now he could move on to the next step and thoroughly paint Lu Ran as a mentally unstable madman.
Ji Min was too close to Lu Ran.
He was too protective of him, and that was a very dangerous signal to Shen Hongyuan.
Now, he needed to completely shatter Ji Min’s trust in Lu Ran.
A person might believe what a child says.
But no one would take a madman’s words seriously.
If Lu Ran ever said something to Ji Min again in the future, Ji Min likely wouldn’t believe it.
Shen Hongyuan was already planning how to portray the image of a father who had discovered his son was mentally ill.
But just as he was about to continue, Ji Min, looking moved, said, “From what you’re saying, he just held the trash bag but didn’t actually do anything.”
Shen Hongyuan froze.
Wait a minute!
What do you mean by “he didn’t do anything”?
Is this what you call “didn’t do anything”?!
If he didn’t do anything, why don’t you try it yourself!
Shen Hongyuan almost choked on his words.
In fact, Ji Min, sitting across from him, also found the situation strange.
He found his own calm reaction strange.
The scene Shen Hongyuan described was undoubtedly disgusting.
But his first thought was: what exactly did the Shen family do to push that child to this point?
Who, in their right mind, would want to deal with something like that?
Moreover, Ji Min wasn’t unfamiliar with Lu Ran’s actions.
He had personally witnessed Lu Ran force the three Lino family members to drink diluted toilet water.
And they actually drank it.
Just last weekend, that Jin Lino even drank two cups of it.
Thinking of this, Ji Min lost whatever little sympathy he had left for Shen Hongyuan.
He looked at the man across from him, who seemed to be going into a full-blown panic, and thought that this man was overreacting.
Frowning, Ji Min said, “He was just scaring you, he didn’t actually make you eat it, nor did he throw your utensils in the toilet and make you use them.”
Shen Hongyuan was speechless.
What on earth was this man saying?
Was he still the powerful head of the Ji family?
Every word he said carried the distinct tone of, “He was already very merciful, what more do you want?”
Ji Min’s aura was too overwhelming.
The tone was so certain.
It left Shen Hongyuan with nothing but the thought of “he didn’t actually make you eat it.”
He even started to doubt himself.
Could it be…?
Was it really nothing?
They didn’t eat it, after all.
It seemed like maybe, it didn’t really hold much weight?
Shen Hongyuan started to panic.
He had already anticipated many difficulties—like not being able to meet Ji Min or that Ji Min wouldn’t believe a word he said.
He had even planned out how to guide Lu Ran into reenacting the scene from that day.
He would have Lu Ran go crazy in the restaurant.
Once Lu Ran was finished and feeling triumphant, he would open the side door and let Lu Ran see Ji Min’s angry and disgusted face.
But Shen Hongyuan never expected that his plan would hit a snag here.
Had Ji Min seen it? No.
Did Ji Min believe what he said? Yes.
But Ji Min actually didn’t think it was a big deal!
He even thought it was their fault?
Shen Hongyuan struggled in confusion for a while.
In the end, it seemed like he just couldn’t let go of the sunk cost.
It seemed his efforts hadn’t been enough.
Since he had already said all this, already thrown his dignity away, how much worse could it get?
So Shen Hongyuan steeled himself.
He closed his eyes and said, “Mr. Ji, actually, I lied to you just now. To save face, I downplayed the severity of the situation.”
As he spoke, Shen Hongyuan took a deep breath and said, “That day, Lu Ran shoved that thing into my and his mother’s mouths! We…”
After these words, Ji Min looked at the chairman in front of him, who had just admitted to having eaten that thing and fell into silence.
After speaking these words, Shen Hongyuan felt utterly drained.
For a man who had lived most of his life, he was overwhelmed with an emotion that felt almost like wanting to cry.
He reached up to wipe his forehead, thinking to himself: Now, this should finally be settled, right?
But then, after a moment of silence, Ji Min looked at him, furrowed his brows, and said.
“Given the things you’ve done, it’s only natural for him to treat you like this.”
Shen Hongyuan: “…”
Ah—
Shen Hongyuan’s heart was roaring.
Is this it?
Just this!!
He had sacrificed so much, even admitting to eating shit, and this was the outcome?
This time, it was Shen Hongyuan who was backing down.
His movement was so dramatic that his chair even shifted backward with a loud, screeching sound.
At this moment, Shen Hongyuan no longer doubted himself.
He looked at the man across from him.
Ji Min was still sitting steadily in his wheelchair, his face pale and calm.
In his gaze, there was a deep disapproval.
Suddenly, Shen Hongyuan thought of Shen Xingran’s words.
This Ji Min… he must be sick!
Whether Lu Ran was normal or not, he didn’t know.
But this Ji Min, he was definitely not normal!
Is this the reaction a normal person would have upon hearing such things?
Shen Hongyuan had not hesitated to reveal his own scandal, even embellishing the story.
In the end, this long-planned conversation concluded with him fleeing in a panic.
Butler Chen was waiting outside the private room.
He heard a “thud”, and the door to the room flew open, with Shen Hongyuan practically running out.
It was as if a wild beast were chasing him.
Butler Chen was momentarily stunned.
He even wondered if Ji Min had inadvertently shown an excessive possessiveness toward his1Shen Hongyuan son, scaring him2Shen Hongyuan off.
But considering Shen Hongyuan’s relationship with Lu Ran, that didn’t seem likely.
After Shen Hongyuan had disappeared, Butler Chen glanced suspiciously into the room.
Ji Min appeared calm as usual, though there was a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
Da Huang was still lying there, its small eyes full of curiosity, seemingly puzzled as to why the person across from them had suddenly run off.
“What happened?” Butler Chen asked.
Ji Min shook his head and wheeled himself out of the room.
He didn’t say much but suddenly and cryptically muttered when he reached the door, “He guessed wrong.”
“Huh?” Butler Chen didn’t understand.
But Ji Min didn’t offer any further explanation.
When Shen Hongyuan returned to the Shen household, he looked utterly ashen.
Shen Xingran rushed over, concerned, and asked, “Dad, what happened?”
Shen Hongyuan glanced at him, patted his shoulder, and sighed deeply, “You were right.”
That sigh carried an indescribable weight of bitterness.
To undermine the trust between Ji Min and Lu Ran, Shen Hongyuan had been working on it for almost a month, from start to finish.
First, he waited specifically for Lu Ran to lose control at the banquet.
Then, he had Shen Xingran fight for Lu Ran’s “favor”.
And now, he personally took charge of the situation.
He exposed everything, yet it had no effect whatsoever.
Shen Hongyuan was somewhat fearful of Ji Min.
With lunatics like him and Lu Ran together, who knew what kind of trouble they could cause?
But seeing Ji Min’s current state, it seemed the worries he had weren’t yet realized.
Soon, however, Shen Hongyuan’s mind shifted, as he no longer had the energy to dwell on this matter.
The bidding for the HZ project was about to begin.
The Shen family was determined to win this project.
Since the old master’s death, the Shen family had appeared prosperous, but their industry ranking had been consistently dropping.
The family’s finances had also run into some trouble.
Otherwise, Shen Xingyu wouldn’t be so busy, constantly on the move.
If they could win this project, it would solidify the family’s position.
If they missed this opportunity, the situation would be hard to predict.
But Shen Hongyuan had also heard news of the Lino family returning to the country.
The competition would be fierce this time.
Lu Ran wasn’t unaware of this either.
After returning to the Shen household, he specifically looked up some information and familiarized himself with the Shen family’s business structure.
He was aware of the upcoming project bidding as well.
One day, he returned home after school.
Servants were moving in and out on the second floor, cleaning.
Lu Ran looked up for a moment, realizing that the cleaning was happening in a sunny room on the east side of the second floor.
If he wasn’t mistaken, it was Shen Xingyu’s room.
Seeing him pause, Shen Xingran, who was directing the servants in and out, suddenly turned to glance at him.
He smiled and said, “Big Brother is coming back.”
Then, a bit sheepishly, he added, “Ah, I forgot, you haven’t met Big Brother, have you?”
Madam Shen also turned to glance at Lu Ran.
Her usual cautiousness, as if afraid to offend him, seemed to fade a little, as though with Shen Xingyu’s return, they now had a strong foundation.
Lu Ran looked at her, then at Shen Xingran, and asked with genuine confusion, “What’s there to be happy about? Does he spoil you or something?”
Shen Xingran was momentarily taken aback by the question.
Shen Xingyu… was different with him than with Shen Xingzhuo.
Lu Ran didn’t say anything more. He went back to his room to drop off his things, locked the door, and then headed to Ji Min’s.
However.
The second-floor room had been tidied up for several days and Shen Xingyu was reportedly back in the country.
But for several days in a row, Lu Ran had yet to see his older brother’s figure.
At first, he had been on guard, but eventually, he stopped worrying about it.
On the weekend, Lu Ran accompanied Ji Min to an event.
This time, the occasion was more formal.
Lu Ran had even gone to Ji Min’s house to change into a “work outfit”, trying to maintain his identity as the “ex-boyfriend”.
But to his surprise, after changing, the outfit that had previously fit well now felt a little loose.
Ji Min, waiting outside, furrowed his brow when he noticed.
However, he recalled the overly forward joke Lu Ran had made in the car last time.
So he didn’t say much more.
He just casually asked, “What have you been eating lately?”
Lu Ran had worked hard to put on a little weight during the winter break, but after just a few days back at school, it had started to come off again.
“I’ve just been eating at the cafeteria. But lately, I’ve been so busy that by the time I get there, they’ve already closed,” Lu Ran said while bending over to tie his shoelaces.
“Busy with what?” Ji Min asked, his brow furrowing deeper. “Do you really have that many classes?”
Lu Ran then mentioned the Elite Academy.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I should be able to get in this time!”
Ji Min was somewhat surprised.
For him, academic matters had been a long time ago.
And many of the younger generation around him, due to their backgrounds, didn’t really care about academics either.
Seeing Lu Ran so eager, Ji Min was a bit intrigued. “You’ve already returned to the Shen family. Does this academy still matter to you?”
“Of course it’s different.”
Lu Ran looked up at him. “This is something I’ve worked hard to get into myself.”
There was a stubbornness in his tone that belonged solely to youth.
Ji Min couldn’t help but let a hint of a smile flash in his eyes.
But he still didn’t have much to say and urged him on, “Hurry up. Putting on your shoes is more troublesome than me having a meal.”
“Coming, coming!” Lu Ran replied, but the motion of tying his shoes was still careful and unhurried.
His shoes were a limited edition pair.
Lu Ran didn’t recognize them, but boys’ natural affection for shoes was something ingrained.
He claimed not to care, but right now, he was handling them with great care.
Today, he wore a white shirt.
The hem was slightly loose, but it was neatly tucked into a pair of black casual pants.
The waist was cinched tightly.
And because of his bent-over posture, a smooth curve was drawn across his back.
Ji Min’s gaze lingered for two seconds before quickly shifting away.
He turned his attention to the lawn in the villa’s yard.
Yet, his fingertips involuntarily recalled the sensation he’d felt that day when pulling the person into the wheelchair.
It was delicate, yet full of life.
It was like a fish thrashing about in the water— the more it struggled, the more one wanted to pin it down.
The man’s fingers tightened around the leather armrest of the wheelchair, pushing away those inexplicable thoughts from his mind.
Only then did he look back at the young man next to him, putting on his shoes.
Suddenly, as though remembering something, he frowned and said, “Your father came to see me.”
“Mm?” Lu Ran wasn’t particularly surprised, just asking, “What did he want?”
Ji Min fell silent for a moment.
What did he want?
Of course, he recounted the things you did.
Ji Min didn’t pay much attention to the trivial things Shen Hongyuan had mentioned, but Shen Hongyuan’s attitude had caught him off guard.
In the past, from Lu Ran’s description, Shen Hongyuan was a thoroughly business-minded person.
He’d go so far as to send his son to someone else’s bed for profit.
But this time, Ji Min noticed that it wasn’t quite the case.
Shen Hongyuan seemed reluctant to let Lu Ran get too close to him.
And he was going to great lengths to destroy the relationship between the boy and him.
So much so, that he didn’t hesitate to offend him, to offend the Ji family.
At the previous banquet, Ji Min had vaguely sensed this. This time, he was certain.
For Shen Hongyuan, this should be a rather unusual move.
What could possibly make Shen Hongyuan set aside profit for the first time?
Ji Min felt he should warn Lu Ran.
He spoke up, “Your father is acting strange.”
“Where’s he acting strange?” Lu Ran asked.
Ji Min frowned as he described.
“Earlier, you said that if I wanted, your father would send you to my bed, but now he doesn’t seem to have that intention…”
At this point, Ji Min suddenly stopped himself.
The words felt a bit strange.
It almost seemed like there was a hint of regret in them.
