⌈In your case, you should go to an andrologist.⌋
Shen Residence.
The entire third floor finally fell silent.
Madam Shen clung to a shelf, using both hands and feet, silently shedding tears.
Shen Xingran was still dry-heaving, having vomited bile all over the floor.
Even in this state, he couldn’t resist pointing at Lu Ran, his voice trembling with accusation.
“You… You promised that once Big Brother took a bite, you’d leave!”
Lu Ran crossed his arms, laughing heartily. “Are you stupid? Since when have I ever kept my word?”
Shen Xingran stared at him, dumbfounded, so shocked that he forgot to gag again.
Meanwhile, Shen Xingyu, the quickest of them all, had already locked himself in the third-floor bathroom, hunched over the toilet, vomiting everything he had.
Lu Ran leisurely took in the chaos on the third floor, admiring his handiwork. After checking the time, he left behind the wriggling and flying mess of bugs and sauntered off.
Humming a tune, he returned to his room, packed the rest of his “assignment” into his backpack, grabbed Da Huang’s leash, and cheerfully headed out of the villa.
As he reached the door, he turned back for one last glance.
Just in time, he saw Shen Xingyu emerge from the room on the third floor, wearing an indescribably complicated expression. His hair and face were soaked and he hurriedly made his way to his room to change.
Lu Ran waved the leash in his hand, catching Shen Xingyu’s attention.
The moment Shen Xingyu saw him, he froze in place, his feet hesitating between retreating and rushing back into his room.
Lu Ran raised the bag of “pastries” in his hand with a bright smile.
“President Shen, you’re always welcome to stand up for justice for me next time.”
Shen Xingyu: “…”
He couldn’t hold it anymore. Covering his mouth, he rushed back into his room.
Meanwhile, Ji Min also received word of the Shen family’s incident.
As he was preparing to head to work, Butler Chen hurried in from outside and bowed.
“There’s been some trouble at the Shen residence.”
“What happened? Does it have to do with Lu Ran?” Ji Min’s brows furrowed slightly.
His tone carried a trace of severity, hiding a hint of concern beneath it.
However, after he asked the question, Butler Chen hesitated for a moment, his expression difficult to describe.
“It’s… somewhat related,” Butler Chen finally said.
Ji Min’s frown deepened. “Did Shen Xingyu give him trouble again?”
Butler Chen paused again before answering, “Hmm… you could put it that way.”
Ji Min sighed, already preparing to head out. “What exactly happened?”
Butler Chen: “…”
After pondering for a moment, he tried to explain as objectively as possible: “Young Master Shen ate Lu Ran’s nutrition assignment.”
Even though Ji Min was familiar with Lu Ran’s wild antics, he was momentarily stunned.
His expression was more bewildered than when he had heard Shen Xingyu was dragged into a bathroom.
“Uh… I recall Lu Ran’s course was on pet nutrition?”
Butler Chen gave a silent nod.
Ji Min’s expression turned equally indescribable.
Lu Ran had casually discussed his experimental progress with him during a few recent absences, so Ji Min had some idea of the ingredients and methods involved in this “assignment”.
If that thing had been eaten by a person…
Hmm… the Shen family’s current state must be quite something.
Ji Min and Butler Chen exchanged a glance.
Then, as if by mutual agreement, both shifted their gaze away and tacitly skipped over the topic.
Ji Min: “…Today’s schedule is packed.”
Butler Chen: “Indeed.”
It wasn’t until Ji Min was in the car, nearing his company, that the invisible impact of the situation seemed to dissipate slightly.
Butler Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Earlier, you were worried Lu Ran would be at a disadvantage staying with the Shen family and even considered bringing him back…”
As he spoke, he glanced at Ji Min, only to find Ji Min staring blankly out the car window, offering no response.
After a long pause, when the car finally stopped in the parking lot of the Ji Corporation building, he spoke again.
Butler Chen heard the man in the wheelchair muttering to himself in a low voice.
“This assignment took him a long time. Now that it’s been eaten, it’s bound to affect his studies.”
Butler Chen: “…”
Very good, you certainly know where to focus.
Ji Min’s worries never came to pass.
Because Lu Ran had made several copies.
He submitted his assignment.
The nutrition teacher, who seemed to enjoy making things difficult for students, glanced at his formula and fell silent.
Then, without saying anything, he quietly gave him a perfect score.
However, this situation had a significant impact on Shen Xingyu.
Originally, he just wanted to quickly settle things and wash up before rushing to work.
But after Lu Ran’s interference, he didn’t even make it to work today.
First, he had to battle insects on the third floor.
Then, he had to comfort his frightened mother.
After returning, he spent an hour in the shower, brushing his teeth countless times.
But it seemed that no matter how many times he brushed, that strange… cockroach smell lingered in his mouth.
Finally, Shen Xingyu changed his clothes and grabbed his documents.
He sat in the car, instructing the driver to head to the company.
Along the way, Shen Xingyu still couldn’t bear it. He told the driver to stop midway and said, “First… take me to the hospital.”
For the first time since joining the company, where he always worked through any illness, Young Master Shen took a sick day.
When Shen Xingyu entered the doctor’s office and sat before the doctor, he still felt somewhat disoriented.
The doctor asked, “What seems to be the problem?”
Shen Xingyu remained silent.
The doctor and the patient stared at each other across the desk.
Seeing that this patient wasn’t speaking, although it was strange, the doctor had seen all kinds of situations before.
He had encountered many patients who didn’t speak when they entered the room.
The doctor sighed as he looked at the man in front of him, sharply dressed.
Doctor: He looks like an upstanding person, but why the trouble with not speaking?
Still, maintaining his professional responsibility, the doctor gently reminded him, “In your situation, you should visit an andrologist. I’m in the gastroenterology department.”
Shen Xingyu: “…”
Finally, his lips moved. “No… I’m…”
Seeing his hesitation, the doctor sighed again.
Sure enough, in situations like this, very few people are willing to admit it voluntarily.
The doctor shook his head and said, “I’ll refer you to another department. Take your ID card, and the andrology department is downstairs.”
He then added, “Don’t feel burdened. Specialized treatments will help you get the right remedy. The andrology doctors are much more experienced than I am with these kinds of issues.”
Shen Xingyu: “…”
He raised his hand to rub his forehead and finally squeezed out an explanation through clenched teeth: “No, I came here because I… ate… something bad.”
“Huh?” The doctor was confused. “What did you eat?”
Shen Xingyu fell silent again.
The doctor started getting anxious—there were other patients waiting!
Under the doctor’s pressing, Shen Xingyu finally gave up and muttered, “Cockroach…”
“Huh?” The doctor was stunned again.
Once he opened his mouth, everything got easier.
Shen Xingyu tried his best to describe it: “It was a kind of pastry. The outer shell was made of… freeze-dried bacterial bodies and inside there was a cockroach, along with some red worms. I think they’re called breadworms.”
He then told the doctor, “I took a bite and ate half a cockroach.”
Actually, at that moment, Shen Xingyu was still in a daze and couldn’t even remember whether he had actually swallowed that bite.
But he was fairly sure he had eaten something.
Thinking about it now, Shen Xingyu started feeling a bit nauseous again.
“I just wanted to ask… is there any problem with this? Should I get checked out?” Shen Xingyu asked.
The doctor stared at him silently, eyes wide open.
Finally, he waved his hand, “Just keep an eye on it. If you have symptoms, come back.”
“Do I need to take any medicine?” Shen Xingyu was still concerned.
“Medicine isn’t something you just take for fun,” the doctor said, quickly pressing the button for the next patient.
Shen Xingyu hesitated for a long time, filled with doubts, before leaving.
As he walked away, the doctor sighed heavily.
These young guys, just to hide something embarrassing, can make up such ridiculous stories!
Shen Xingyu couldn’t remember how he left the hospital.
He endured the lingering nausea for a few days, trying to suppress it little by little, but the psychological trauma of biting into a cockroach remained with him.
It was likely the same for Madam Shen and Shen Xingran.
The ultimate result was that the Shen family had become incredibly quiet recently.
Wherever Lu Ran was, there wasn’t a single person within a five-meter radius.
On the weekend, Lu Ran couldn’t help but boast to Ji Min about his “victories”.
He sighed again, “It took me so long to make those and I gave them three. I was still a bit reluctant to part with them.”
Ji Min and Butler Chen, who was listening nearby, exchanged looks: “…”
Ji Min thought for a moment, gradually understanding, “It’s a bit of a waste.”
He’d had to cancel a few pigeon deliveries and even accept a salary deduction just to make those things.
“Exactly!” Lu Ran agreed.
Ji Min nodded in acknowledgment.
When he noticed the young man glancing at him, Ji Min paused thoughtfully and smoothly brought up the topic.
“They always cause trouble like this. What about your studies? You can’t keep protecting your work from them every time. Doesn’t it get annoying?”
He was waiting for the boy to nod, so he could smoothly ask if he wanted to live with him.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Lu Ran looking at him with bright, excited eyes.
He exclaimed, “Not at all! I think it’s super fun!”
Ji Min: “…”
Great, he had misunderstood.
However, Ji Min never admits defeat in negotiations.
He then continued, “But this will take time away from your part-time job. How many days have you taken off this month?”
“Hmm…” Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty as he glanced at his boss.
Just a few days ago, he’d even boasted about spreading the “truth” about Ji Min all over the city.
But now, with so much work to do, he’d forgotten all about it.
“It seems I have been slacking a bit…” Lu Ran said, feeling a little regretful when he thought of the salary deductions.
Hearing this, Ji Min silently let out a breath of relief.
He was about to speak again.
The young man in front of him started counting on his fingers and said, “But staying at the Shen house doesn’t cost rent, so when I calculate it, I’m not losing that much.”
“And there’s fun to be had. Plus, I even prepared a big room for Da Huang.”
Ji Min was momentarily stunned: “A big room for Da Huang?”
“Yes, originally Shen Xingyu’s room, but I asked for it and gave it to Da Huang,” Lu Ran explained.
Ji Min: “…”
This time, Ji Min was thoroughly defeated in the negotiation.
When he returned home, the first thing he did was tell Butler Chen, “Tell the housekeeping to prepare another room.”
Butler Chen: “…”
Before Butler Chen could respond, Ji Min thought for a moment, then turned his wheelchair around and added, “Better prepare those two connecting suites on the second floor, near the corner. It’ll be more convenient for Da Huang to visit him at night.”
Butler Chen listened quietly, then couldn’t help but remind him, “But Lu Ran hasn’t agreed to come and live here yet.”
To be precise, you haven’t even dared to ask yet and you’re already preparing the room.
At this, Ji Min fell silent.
He looked at the second-floor rooms and murmured, “How can I let him stay at the Shen house?”
“That adopted son of the Shen family is strange and Shen Hongyuan is probably up to something. Now with Shen Xingyu in that state, his health seems…”
Ji Min sighed lightly, “How can I feel at ease leaving him at the Shen house?”
After a long pause, he didn’t hear a response from Butler Chen.
Ji Min raised his head and met Butler Chen’s half-smiling, half-amused gaze.
The old man’s eyes were kind, with a wise look as though he could see through everything.
Ji Min paused.
Quickly, as if to explain his over-concerned feelings or to convince himself, he said, “Shen Xingyu even ate his homework. That’s seriously going to affect his studies.”
As though all his selfish thoughts could be masked by the excuse of “helping him focus on his studies”.
Butler Chen: “…” Eating “homework” was so shocking and yet it could be used as a reason like this?
Butler Chen gently reminded him, “Young Master Lu doesn’t seem to feel that way.”
The man in the wheelchair unconsciously pressed his lips together.
Then, in a tone reminiscent of a parent, he added, “He’s still young. He’ll regret it when he’s older, and it’ll be too late.”
Butler Chen: “…”
He once again doubted the family education of the Ji family.
It seemed like Ji Min just wanted to bring the boy back under his wing, protecting him, without all the complicated reasons.
