⌈Lu Ran goes to school every day.⌋
When Madam Shen screamed, not only was Shen Hongyuan startled awake, but Shen Xingyu in the next room was also alarmed.
He had just returned home and was unwinding in the shower, tired from the day. The villa’s soundproofing was excellent, and since he was in the bathroom, normal sounds shouldn’t be audible.
The fact that he could hear the scream meant that it was incredibly loud.
Shen Xingyu thought something serious had happened.
He quickly turned off the shower, reaching for the towel hanging on the rack.
But just as his hand reached out, he froze in mid-motion.
Because on the wall next to the towel, something that made Shen Xingyu dizzy and queasy just by looking at it was slowly crawling.
It moved leisurely.
Waving its antennae, it crawled slowly up the wet wall, almost like an elderly man taking a morning stroll.
But the sight made Shen Xingyu’s face go pale.
He had a serious mental block when it came to this creature.
Anyone who had eaten half a cockroach would likely develop a deep aversion to it.
Meanwhile, Madam Shen in the next room continued screaming.
Her cries were so frantic it sounded like Shen Hongyuan had collapsed suddenly.
Shen Xingyu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to suppress the urge to gag.
Slowly, he extended his hand, trying to grab the towel hanging on the wall without disturbing the “cockroach lord”.
Perhaps because his movements were slow enough, Shen Xingyu managed to avoid the cockroach and grab the towel.
He let out a heavy sigh of relief.
But as he quickly withdrew his hand with the towel, he shook it out—only for four or five dark shadows to leap out from within the fabric.
Instantly, the entire second floor of the Shen house was thrown into chaos.
There was a flurry of noises.
Shen Xingran, who lived on the third floor, naturally heard the commotion.
He was staying up late, calming the fish in his tank. When he heard the noise, he instinctively got out of bed and went to check.
As soon as he opened his door, he heard Madam Shen shout, “Cockroaches! It’s cockroaches!”
Shen Xingran, having had a firsthand encounter with those creatures before, quickly retreated into his room and slammed the door shut.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” he reassured himself.
Even if there were cockroaches, they were on the second floor. He was on the third floor, which had been treated by the pest control company three times, so it was safe.
Thinking this, Shen Xingran was even more determined not to open the door.
He pretended he hadn’t heard anything and returned to his bed.
That night, aside from the slight discomfort from his pillow, nothing else disturbed him.
Shen Xingran was now even more convinced that his room was safe.
The next morning, he came downstairs to the dining room.
Despite the loud disturbances from the family the previous night, the servants had still dutifully prepared breakfast.
When Shen Xingran came downstairs, Madam Shen, Shen Hongyuan, and Shen Xingyu were already waiting at the table.
The three of them had the same expression.
It could be described as looking as pale as a ghost.
Sitting together, they resembled three graves.
Shen Xingran pretended to be surprised and asked, “Dad, Mom, and Big Brother, why do you all look so bad?”
Madam Shen opened her mouth, but she didn’t even have the energy to explain.
She simply said, “We’ll have to call the pest control company again today.”
Shen Hongyuan silently nodded.
Shen Xingyu, having already made up his mind, decided to move to the company for the night.
Shen Xingran maintained a puzzled expression and continued eating breakfast.
While eating, he didn’t forget to comfort Madam Shen, saying, “Mom, why don’t you rest at my place for a bit later?”
As he spoke, Shen Xingran lowered his head, frowning as he looked at the xiao long bao in his chopsticks.
He noticed that a black thread-like object was sticking out from the dumpling he had bitten into.
Shen Xingran immediately felt disgusted.
Ugh~ How careless are the servants? How could there be hair in the dumpling?
He was about to call the servants over to reprimand them.
But after thinking carefully, Shen Xingran realized that the xiao long bao was something Madam Shen had made by hand on a whim yesterday afternoon.
He had no choice but to swallow the disgust rising in his chest and silently used his chopsticks to try and pull the hair out.
He pinched the hair with his chopsticks and pulled, but it didn’t budge.
He tried again.
This time, the “hair” was pulled out, but it was attached to half a cockroach’s body, coming out of the dumpling.
It wasn’t hair at all.
It was the cockroach’s antennae!
Shen Xingran: “…”
Before the scream could escape his throat, one question filled his mind.
Why was there only half a cockroach?
Where’s the other half?!
The breakfast table descended into chaos once again.
Shen Xingran, disgusted beyond belief, didn’t even go to school that day and stayed holed up in his room all day.
Although he had found a cockroach in his food, the only comfort was that his third floor was still safe.
Shen Xingran kept telling himself this.
Until one night, when he got up to pour some water.
After filling his cup, he tilted his head back to take a sip.
Suddenly, he felt something touch his lips.
Shen Xingran quickly turned on the light.
Looking down, he saw a large cockroach floating in the cup.
Not only in the cup.
To his left, right, and on the ceiling…
Then, the largest one actually flew straight toward his face.
Shen Xingran screamed, his usual alluring voice shattered in the panic.
He didn’t hesitate and rushed into his bedroom, grabbing a pillow and wildly waving it around.
He heard a sizzling sound.
The past couple of days, Shen Xingran felt particularly uncomfortable while sleeping, and his somewhat sunken pillow suddenly split open.
In an instant, countless cockroach larvae spilled out.
The latex inside the pillow had been hollowed out, leaving it full of holes.
All this time!
He had been sleeping on top of these things!
Shen Xingran rolled his eyes, nearly fainting from the shock.
Lu Ran! It must have been Lu Ran!
Meanwhile, Lu Ran, who had no idea how badly the Shen family was suffering, had been living quite comfortably lately.
These past couple of days, Ji Min had probably been annoyed with him, not paying much attention to him.
However, Lu Ran’s mattress had been replaced with a slightly firmer one.
The bedding that had been placed on the floor was now moved up onto the bed.
Now, after school, Lu Ran would just return to Ji Min’s place.
In the spacious villa, it was just him, Ji Min, and Butler Chen.
Without the usual daily scheming and drama at home, Lu Ran initially felt a bit out of place, as if something was missing from his life.
But gradually, he began to sense that he was becoming more like the other college students around him.
There was no need to worry about a bombshell waiting for him at home, no need to fear being inexplicably thrown out during a greeting.
It was as though he had truly become a carefree university student.
Every day was just about studying and socializing.
When he came home, there was always a meal prepared for him.
He was even luckier than most university students, because he also had Da Huang, and could pet the dog!
Today was the weekend.
Ji Min, unusually, didn’t go to the company and instead stayed in the villa’s sunroom.
The spring sunlight was bright and warm.
A pot of tea was brewing on the round table.
Da Huang was lying on the floor, basking in the sun.
Butler Chen was trimming the branches of the flowers and plants in the yard.
Lu Ran followed behind, holding a pair of gardening shears.
He was looking up, listening carefully to the old man’s explanation of how to prune.
Ji Min, surrounded by the misty steam, glanced over at the elderly man and the young boy in the yard.
To be honest, he was a bit surprised.
Given Lu Ran’s personality, Ji Min had prepared himself for all kinds of chaos in their future life together.
But the young boy had been living at the Ji house for a few days now.
That unsettling aura around him had faded somewhat and he seemed much more obedient.
He was very quiet, spending his time either reading, doing homework, or playing with Da Huang on the lawn, except for the occasional bickering at the dinner table.
It was clear that the boy had developed a fondness for Butler Chen.
He often stuck to Butler Chen like a little tail, following him around.
At this moment, after listening to Butler Chen’s instructions, Lu Ran held the gardening shears, treating the task with great seriousness, and carefully cut a branch from the pot of Podocarpus.
Butler Chen smiled and praised, “Not bad, just like that.”
But just as Butler Chen turned around, Lu Ran, not holding the shears properly, accidentally cut off half of the top of the tree.
The boy’s pupils visibly trembled.
In a flurry, he hurriedly caught the broken branch and futilely tried to press the cut end back together.
It seemed like he was praying that it could be reattached.
But it was obviously not going to work.
So, when Butler Chen turned back, Lu Ran quickly hid the severed branch behind his back.
Ji Min, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t help but laugh and expose him.
“You’re hiding it, but you’ve already trimmed it bald.”
Lu Ran: “…”
He really wanted to throw whatever was in his hands at the man’s face.
Butler Chen also glanced at Ji Min disapprovingly.
Ji Min turned to comfort Lu Ran, saying, “It’s normal for a beginner to make mistakes.”
At this moment, one of Ji Min’s personal assistants walked in, handing him a form and saying, “Here’s the guest list for your birthday party, sir. Please take a look and let us know if anything needs to be changed.”
As soon as Lu Ran heard this, he perked up.
He put down the gardening shears and walked toward the house. “Boss, your birthday is coming up?”
Ji Min glanced at him but didn’t answer. Instead, he remarked, “Look at your muddy shoes.”
His tone was full of disdain, but he didn’t seem inclined to ask anyone to come in and clean up.
Lu Ran kicked off his shoes and ran over to him, asking, “When is it?”
Ji Min didn’t answer.
So, Lu Ran circled around him to try and see the date on the form.
Ji Min held it out of his view.
Lu Ran: “…”
He sighed and said, “Boss, you’re really childish.”
Ji Min: “?”
A kid who was ten years younger than him called him childish.
Lu Ran sighed again. “Isn’t it just because I rejected you a few days ago? You’re still mad about it now?”
The assistant, hearing this, immediately showed a curious, gossiping expression.
Ji Min: “…” Shut up.
Taking advantage of Ji Min’s moment of inattention, the young boy quickly peeked at the date of the party and then grinned as he ran off.
Ji Min didn’t bother arguing with a child. He lowered his head to glance at the form, then looked up at the assistant and said, “The Li family will be returning this year as well, add them to the list.”
“Got it,” the assistant replied.
Lu Ran looked over at Butler Chen.
Butler Chen quietly explained, “The Li family is Mr. Ji’s aunt and uncle’s family. They’re returning to the country this year.”
Lu Ran instinctively wanted to ask about Ji Min’s relationship with his aunt.
But then he thought about it and realized it didn’t concern him, so he didn’t ask.
The weather was gradually warming up.
As all things revived and multiplied quickly, the Shen family had almost suffered a “devastating disaster”. Even though Shen Xingyu had taken refuge at the company, he couldn’t escape. Instead, it caused the company to deal with pests multiple times.
Though the days were difficult, there were still tasks to be done.
Lu Ran had been away from the Shen family for half a month.
Finally, Shen Hongyuan couldn’t bear it any longer and ordered Shen Xingyu to bring Lu Ran back.
Shen Xingyu was busy drafting the proposal for the HZ project tender when he received the order, but he didn’t find it troublesome. He knew very well that Lu Ran was part of the Shen family and had to return.
The task of bringing Lu Ran back to the Shen family wasn’t particularly difficult, nor was it simple.
It was difficult because Lu Ran was someone Ji Min was protecting.
But it was simple because Lu Ran still had to go to school every day.
And, no matter what, the Shen family was still his legal guardian.
Shen Xingyu was very clear about Ji Min’s character.
When Ji Min decided to do something, it was hard for anyone to change his mind.
And applying pressure on Ji Min was nearly impossible.
That day, Shen Xingyu personally led people to block the entrance of Lu Ran’s school.
Shen Xingyu was meticulous in his work.
Y University had three entrances, and he had arranged for people at all three.
If he were to take Lu Ran directly from the school, Ji Min wouldn’t need to be informed.
The waiting time was tedious.
But Shen Xingyu was patient, staying in the car the whole time and even making use of the time to continue working.
In the afternoon, one of his men tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him, “President Shen, the person is here.”
Shen Xingyu raised his head and looked out the car window, seeing a group of students in white lab coats getting off a school bus and lining up to head into the school.
Many students in the veterinary medicine program had external practical lessons and internships.
Often returning from the farm in the afternoon, he still had to rush to attend the last two classes.
Shen Xingyu didn’t get out of the car immediately. Instead, he sat inside for a while, observing.
The group was almost thirty people.
Shen Xingyu didn’t have to look hard. He quickly spotted Lu Ran.
The other students were chatting in pairs or small groups.
But Lu Ran walked alone. He took off his lab coat, neatly folded it, and held it in his hands.
He was very quiet while doing this.
It was a quietness that was out of place with the peers around him.
It was as though, over the past decade or so, he had always been like this—alone and quietly existing.
He didn’t seem to touch the circle of peers who had happy, complete families or parents who cared for and pampered them.
At that moment, Shen Xingyu suddenly thought back to when they went to pick up Shen Xingran from school.
At that time, the whole family had been there.
Shen Hongyuan, Madam Shen, Shen Xingzhuo, and himself.
They watched as Shen Xingran was surrounded by a crowd of people, like the moon surrounded by stars.
Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen were beaming with pride.
Shen Xingyu’s hand was already on the car lock, but he paused for a second.
Someone next to him asked, “What’s wrong, Mr. Shen?”
“It’s nothing.” Shen Xingyu pushed the car door open.
As the son of the Shen family, he knew very well.
This time, Lu Ran returning home would not be easy.
His father’s attitude toward him would only get worse.
But Lu Ran had to go back.
For both the Shen family and Shen Corporation, this was non-negotiable.
So, there was no room for discussion with Shen Xingyu either.
Shen Xingyu got out of the car and walked straight toward the group of veterinary students.
He was tall, with long legs, and an outstanding appearance.
As soon as he approached, it caught the attention of some people.
Lu Ran quickly noticed Shen Xingyu.
Through the crowd, Shen Xingyu’s gaze was cold and stern as he walked towards him.
On the nearby road, the sound of passing cars roared.
This scene was eerily similar to the way Shen Xingyu had come to catch him in his past life.
Lu Ran took two steps back, instinctively wanting to run.
But soon, he suppressed the impulse, pursed his lips, and slowly walked toward Shen Xingyu.
Shen Xingyu was also moving closer to him.
It seemed as though everything was replaying the scene from his past life.
At that moment, a muscular man wearing a hat and smoking blocked the space between them.
The man extended his hand to stop Shen Xingyu.
Shen Xingyu frowned and looked at him.
The man spoke politely, “Mr. Shen, Mr. Ji specifically instructed us that no one from the Shen family is allowed to come within two meters of young master Lu Ran.”
