CFRFGC Chapter 85

⌈I will consider the engagement.⌋

Shen Xingyu was indeed capable of reviving the nearly lifeless Shen family.

In the business world, he was also adept at hitting people where it hurt most.

After delivering his pointed remarks, he softened his tone and said sincerely, “The Shen family has wronged Lu Ran. Starting today, the Shen family will give Lu Ran everything he deserves.”

He paused briefly before continuing, “What you mentioned at the beginning will not happen again.”

Ji Min had already calmed down.

Although Shen Xingyu had undoubtedly struck at what he cared about most and recognized how much he valued Lu Ran, framing everything from Lu Ran’s perspective in an attempt to persuade him, these rhetorical tricks were things Ji Min had long since mastered. They didn’t hold much sway over him.

He raised his head, looked at Shen Xingyu, and asked, “How can you guarantee all of this?”

Shen Xingyu froze for a moment.

Just as he was about to speak, Ji Min raised a hand to stop him.

Then, with a faint smile, he said, “In the Shen family, you can’t even guarantee your own dignity. How am I supposed to believe you can protect him?”

Shen Xingyu stiffened slightly.

But he quickly composed himself and replied calmly, “My dignity doesn’t matter. What matters is the dignity of the Shen family.”

He immediately followed up with a pressing argument.

Fixing his gaze on Ji Min, he said, “Senior Ji, you’re a man of principle. Lu Ran is only nineteen and already engaged to the Gu family. Living in the Ji family isn’t appropriate.”

Shen Xingyu raised an eyebrow. “Or are you suggesting that the Ji family intends to form an alliance with the Shen family through marriage?”

If it had been anyone else, Shen Xingyu wouldn’t have dared to say this.

Such words could easily be seen as an invitation and the other party might seize the opportunity to agree, leaving him not only unable to take Lu Ran back but also essentially delivering his younger brother into someone else’s hands.

But Ji Min wouldn’t.

This man was extremely rational and wouldn’t let anyone’s words cloud his judgment or sway his own considerations.

The reason Shen Xingyu dared to say this was because he could see that Ji Min genuinely cared about Lu Ran.

It wasn’t the indulgence of a superior for a pet but a true and earnest sense of protection.

Seeing this care, Shen Xingyu relaxed slightly.

This meant that even if Lu Ran returned to the Shen family, with Ji Min watching over him, Shen Hongyuan likely wouldn’t go too far.

At the same time, because of this care, Shen Xingyu was certain that Ji Min wouldn’t casually make a commitment like “marriage”.

The deeper the affection for someone, the more unwilling one would be to see them tied for life to a cripple.

As expected, Ji Min didn’t respond to his provocation.

Shen Xingyu pressed on, “I simply don’t want my brother to be subjected to any gossip.”

Though, in reality, no one dared to spread rumors about Ji Min.

Ji Min remained silent for a moment.

He looked up at Shen Xingyu and asked, “In what capacity are you saying this to me—as a fellow alumnus or as Lu Ran’s brother?”

Shen Xingyu couldn’t figure out why Ji Min was asking this but replied, “Of course, as Lu Ran’s brother.”

Ji Min sneered, “Do you deserve to call yourself that?”

Those three simple words left Shen Xingyu momentarily speechless.

If it had been Shen Hongyuan, he would’ve flown into a rage.

If it were Madam Shen, she would’ve had a complete meltdown.

But Shen Xingyu wasn’t someone who let emotions interfere in negotiations.

He responded immediately, “He is my brother. That’s an objective fact.”

Ji Min merely chuckled.

“Brother?” He looked up, his gaze sharp as if piercing through everything. “You came to see me and said all these things—was it because Lu Ran is your brother?”

“Shen Xingyu, stop deceiving yourself.”

Ji Min sighed. “You only see Lu Ran as a sheep in the Shen family’s pen and you’re the sheepdog carefully trained by the Shen family. When a sheep escapes, of course, you feel compelled to bring it back.”

“Whether that sheep is brought back to be kept, slaughtered, or sold depends on the owner’s will. As the sheepdog, you have no right to decide.”

With his facade mercilessly torn down, Shen Xingyu pressed his lips together tightly.

The negotiation reached an impasse.

In the distance, Lu Ran had been playing golf but quickly lost interest.

He frequently glanced in Ji Min’s direction.

Noticing this, Butler Chen chuckled. “What are you looking at? If you’re tired, why not sit with an old man like me and have some tea?”

As he finished speaking, a golf cart passed by near Ji Min’s side.

The moment Lu Ran saw the cart, he abruptly abandoned his club and sprinted toward Ji Min.

Butler Chen was momentarily stunned. By the time he looked up again, Lu Ran had already dashed more than a hundred meters away.

The golf cart approached, passed by, and then drove away into the distance.

Ji Min also noticed the panting young man running toward him.

He blinked in slight surprise and asked, “Why are you running like this?”

Lu Ran, still catching his breath, didn’t have time to answer before stepping behind Ji Min’s wheelchair.

Grabbing the handles, he yanked the wheelchair backward with force, retreating a good ten meters away from Shen Xingyu before finally stopping.

Though Lu Ran appeared thin and frail, when he exerted himself, there was a desperation to his strength, as if he were willing to put his life on the line.

The wheelchair tilted slightly backward from his pull, making the scene suddenly a bit comical.

Shen Xingyu paused, watching the way Lu Ran avoided him as if he were the plague.

Only then did Lu Ran remember to explain his actions.

Still panting, he pointed at Shen Xingyu and declared righteously, “Stay away from him! Who knows if he has cockroaches on him? What if one flies over?”

Shen Xingyu: “…”

Ji Min couldn’t help but feel amused and exasperated at the same time.

He turned slightly to look at the young man behind him.

As he did, he noticed that, despite Lu Ran’s aggressive stance, his hands and even his forearms were trembling slightly.

Whether it was from his sprint or the effort of dragging the wheelchair, it was hard to tell.

Ji Min frowned and reached out to grab the young man’s arm, holding it firmly in his palm.

By then, Butler Chen had arrived, leading Da Huang along with him.

Ji Min turned his wheelchair around and led Lu Ran back to the round table.

As he turned, he glanced back at Shen Xingyu, who remained standing where he was.

Suddenly, Ji Min said, “Since you’re speaking to me as his brother, I’ll give some thought to the engagement.”

Shen Xingyu’s brows instantly knitted into a tight knot.

After being pulled to sit down by Ji Min, Lu Ran still didn’t understand what they were talking about.

He glanced at Shen Xingyu in the distance and whispered, “What engagement?”

The man who had just declared he would consider the engagement now became evasive.

He pinched Lu Ran’s trembling forearm, scolding, “Children shouldn’t eavesdrop on adult conversations.”

Lu Ran: “…”

He thought to himself that his boss must have something seriously wrong with him.

Ji Min glanced at Shen Xingyu, who still hadn’t left, and let out a small sigh.

Shen Xingyu wasn’t the type to give up easily.

Lu Ran needed more people around him for protection.

But Ji Min didn’t plan to share these thoughts with the young man beside him.

Still, as he held Lu Ran’s trembling arm, his mind replayed the image of the boy sprinting over in a hundred-meter dash. He couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed.

Raising his hand, Ji Min tapped Lu Ran on the forehead and scolded, “Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid? Then why were you pulling my wheelchair back ten meters? Do you not need your arms anymore?”

Lu Ran covered his forehead.

“I said I’m not afraid of him,” he replied.

As if to prove his point, Lu Ran pulled his hand back and looked around.

Spotting a children’s golf class nearby, he ran over and asked for a small balloon shaped like a bunny, which was being handed out as a reward.

With the bunny balloon in hand, he dashed back over to Shen Xingyu, his steps determined and aggressive.

With a loud pop, he smashed the balloon.

Startled, Shen Xingyu instinctively turned his head to dodge.

The shredded pieces of the bunny-printed balloon grazed his cheek as they fluttered to the ground.

Lu Ran came and left with an air of defiance.

After popping the balloon, he marched away just as fiercely, not forgetting to seek Ji Min’s approval. “Did you see? I scared him, didn’t I?”

Ji Min had no idea what Lu Ran was trying to accomplish with this display.

He simply reached out and pressed the young man down. “Take a break already.”

When he looked back at Shen Xingyu, however, he noticed something strange.

The man, who had been so unshakable just moments ago, was now staring at the balloon fragments on the ground with an almost dazed expression.

Without saying another word or continuing the confrontation, Shen Xingyu left early.

On the way back, the interior of Ji Min’s business car was very quiet.

Lu Ran had curled up in the back seat and fallen asleep.

When he had run toward Ji Min earlier, it had been with nearly all his strength, a full-on sprint.

After stopping, Lu Ran didn’t even pause to catch his breath. He immediately dragged Ji Min and his wheelchair backward more than ten meters.

Though Ji Min was sitting in the wheelchair, it wasn’t an easy task.

The electric wheelchair had strong brakes and it was even harder to push on the grass.

Add in the weight of a grown man like Ji Min, and it was no small feat to move him so suddenly.

Exerting such force—it was no wonder Lu Ran was exhausted.

“Let him sleep for a while. Wake him up later; he still has classes this afternoon,” Ji Min said.

Butler Chen nodded and handed over a thin blanket as instructed.

Ji Min unfolded it and draped it over the sleeping boy in the back seat.

The car was spacious.

Ji Min turned his wheelchair around and gazed at Lu Ran’s sleeping face for a while.

There might be deeper reasons behind Lu Ran’s fear of Shen Xingyu, but Ji Min could somewhat understand why Lu Ran thought Shen Xingyu was problematic and wanted to avoid him.

From today’s conversation with Shen Xingyu, Ji Min could sense that compared to the other members of the Shen family, Shen Xingyu seemed to genuinely regard Lu Ran as a family to some extent.

But in Shen Xingyu’s world, such emotions didn’t hold much weight.

Ji Min had no real family either.

He could vaguely imagine how Lu Ran had felt growing up.

As an orphan, surrounded by people with complete families, a young Lu Ran probably had to comfort himself by imagining that his parents and relatives must love him, that they just hadn’t found him yet.

That fragile fantasy was shattered completely when he was taken back to the Shen family.

But people don’t want to admit that they were born unloved.

They don’t want to believe they deserve such a family, such parents.

So they cling to a bit of hope to keep going.

They tell themselves that maybe their parents simply don’t remember them, don’t recognize them after so long.

If they did, surely they would love and protect them.

Yet even those faint hopes were crushed by Shen Xingyu.

Shen Xingyu remembered him and treated him as a brother.

But so what?

Even so, it felt as though he was still the one who wasn’t truly loved.

The so-called familial bond—

The family love he had longed for over a decade ultimately amounted to nothing.

Ji Min reached out and gently ruffled the boy’s hair.

After leaving the golf course, Shen Xingyu returned to his company.

He worked late into the evening before heading back to the Shen family residence.

As soon as he walked through the door, he was greeted by Shen Hongyuan’s cold expression.

Shen Hongyuan glanced at him and asked, “How’s the project coming along?”

Shen Xingyu sighed and replied, “Dad, it’s not progressing that quickly.”

Shen Hongyuan’s face darkened further. He pressed, “What about Lu Ran? Why hasn’t he come back?”

Shen Xingyu opened his mouth but didn’t respond.

“Useless!” Shen Hongyuan snapped. “You can’t handle family matters and your work is a mess. What exactly have you been doing lately?”

As he spoke, he grabbed a stack of documents from the table and flung them at Shen Xingyu. “This is Lino Group’s bidding proposal. Study it thoroughly!”

Shen Xingyu stood motionless.

Only after Shen Hongyuan went upstairs did he bend down to pick up the papers.

He had already received this document earlier that morning.

He knew all too well that Shen Hongyuan’s attitude stemmed not only from his personality but also from his growing fear of aging.

Carrying the redundant files, Shen Xingyu trudged upstairs with heavy steps.

Before entering his room, he glanced at the one next door.

The kid had moved out, leaving the room empty once again.

Shen Xingyu entered his room, switched on the light, and sat at his desk to review some proposals sent by his subordinates.

Not long after, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Shen Xingyu said.

It was Madam Shen at the door.

She pushed it open and peeked her head inside. “Son, I heard your dad scold you again. Are you okay?”

A wave of warmth rose in Shen Xingyu’s heart.

He shook his head, about to say he was fine.

But Madam Shen had already stepped inside, as though her earlier question was just an icebreaker, soon forgotten. She held out her phone and showed it to Shen Xingyu.

“I remember you have a membership with this brand. I love their new collection this season—this piece, this one, and this one…”

“These are all limited editions. I’ve sent them to you on WeChat. You must help me snag them.”

Shen Xingyu opened his mouth, speechless.

At the moment, Shen Xingyu couldn’t even remember the differences between the clothes Madam Shen had shown him.

He wanted to say that he’d been quite busy lately and might forget, that his assistant was also swamped with work…

But Madam Shen, after giving her instructions, left humming a tune, looking completely unconcerned.

When the door closed, the room returned to silence.

The initial warmth of her concern felt like a mirage, intangible and fleeting.

At that moment, Shen Xingyu suddenly felt utterly exhausted—profoundly, bone-deep tired.

The pile of work on his desk seemed like a mountain pressing down on him.

Behind him loomed a sheer cliff, offering no support or respite.

For the first time, Shen Xingyu found himself unable to keep working.

He got up, went downstairs, slid open the door to the backyard, and sat on the steps to smoke.

He smoked two cigarettes in a row, emptying the pack.

Reaching into his pocket to see if there were more, his fingers instead found a piece of balloon fragment.

It had the top half of a rabbit’s ear.

He fished out another fragment, this one showing the rabbit’s large eyes and two front teeth.

Staring at the pieces in his hand, Shen Xingyu took a deep drag of the nearly burned-out cigarette between his fingers.

Shen Xingzhuo wasn’t more than two years older than Lu Ran, so it was unlikely he remembered much about their childhood.

But when his younger brother went missing, Shen Xingyu had already been twelve years old.

He clearly remembered who his real brother was and who was the adopted child that came later.

Who was the real “Shen Xingran”.

But back then, as kids, Shen Xingyu and Lu Ran didn’t get along very well.

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