⌈Mr. Ji would get furious if he didn’t hear my voice for an hour.⌋
The important thing is…
“Who are you going on a blind date with?” Ji Min asked.
“Shen Hongyuan brought me to meet people from the Lino family,” Lu Ran said.
Hearing this, the man on the other end of the line couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
The sigh was subtle.
It was as if he had suddenly realized that a certain threat had been removed.
Every time Lu Ran meets with the Lino family, he serves them toilet water.
So, he certainly wouldn’t like the two sons of the Lino family.
At this moment, Ji Min realized that he had been a bit too tense earlier and coughed lightly as if to cover it up.
Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, “Oh my god, I’m not going to end up in a marriage alliance with that Jin person, am I?”
He immediately felt a bit overwhelmed.
“If we get married, does that mean we have to kiss? I’ve made him drink so much toilet water, will I end up suffering in the end?”
Ji Min: “…”
He couldn’t help but want to laugh.
But at the same time, he couldn’t really laugh.
How far ahead is this kid thinking, talking about kissing…?
But Lu Ran pictured the scene and couldn’t help but shudder.
He thought about it again and said very seriously to Ji Min, “Boss, I might make some inaccurate statements about our relationship later, so please don’t mind.”
Ji Min: “?”
Your description is already pretty inaccurate, how much worse could it get?
The phone call from Lu Ran hadn’t ended yet.
Shen Hongyuan came over.
He looked at Lu Ran with a kind expression and asked, “Why are you staying outside? The food is going to get cold.”
Lu Ran raised the phone in his hand and sighed, “I’m on the phone with Mr. Ji.”
Shen Hongyuan’s gaze flickered slightly.
This time, when he invited Lu Ran over, he did indeed have some matchmaking intentions.
The Shen family and the Lino family were competing for the same project.
The Shen family’s advantage wasn’t particularly clear.
However, Shen Hongyuan suddenly thought that a cooperative win-win with the Lino family might be a good plan.
Moreover, when negotiating with the Lino family, he noticed they were quite interested in Lu Ran.
Whether it was using Lu Ran to build a relationship with the Lino family or using the Lino family to create a rift between Lu Ran and Ji Min, both options seemed like guaranteed wins for Shen Hongyuan.
So, at this moment, Shen Hongyuan sincerely said, “Dad knows Ji Min is interested in you, but he’s disabled after all. You should consider your options carefully.”
At that moment, Lu Ran let out a heavy sigh and said, “But if Mr. Ji doesn’t hear from me for an hour, he’ll get furious.”
On the other end of the phone, Ji Min: “?”
Shen Hongyuan was also taken aback.
Lu Ran sighed again, saying, “He loves me so much, he says that without me, he would lose all joy in life and might do something horrible.”
Shen Hongyuan’s lips twitched.
Shen Hongyuan: You’re making this up, aren’t you?
But then he recalled the “state” Ji Min had been in when they last met.
He immediately became unsure of what to think.
Lu Ran furrowed his brows in distress and asked, “What do you think? If one day I end up with someone else, do you think Mr. Ji might just… lose control and destroy everything?”
Saying this, he even shuddered in fear.
Ji Min: “…”
This was the first time he had ever heard someone dare to spread rumors about him right in front of his face.
Shen Hongyuan fell silent as well.
Thinking of the Ji family’s power, for a moment, he wondered if he had made a wrong move.
However… now that things had come to this, Shen Hongyuan gritted his teeth and said, “The more he acts like this, the more you need to be careful. This man is too crazy!”
Lu Ran nodded and then raised his phone again, saying, “Mr. Ji, did you hear that? My dad says he doesn’t approve.”
Shen Hongyuan froze for a moment, his face immediately turning pale with anger.
On the other side, Ji Min suppressed the smile in his voice and played along with the young man.
He lowered his voice and said with a hint of amusement, “Oh, is that what Mr. Shen thinks? It seems the Shen family has already decided to face the storm ahead.”
Then, in a deeper tone, he told Lu Ran, “Come back quickly, don’t make me come over there and capture you myself!”
Shen Hongyuan: “…”
Madman, both of them are madmen!!!
Shen Hongyuan, in a daze, led Lu Ran back to the private room.
Originally, he had been planning to quickly wrap up the meal and get Lu Ran out of there, before that crazy Ji Min really came looking for him.
But as he turned to see Shen Xingran, he paused for a moment.
Luckily, he had brought Shen Xingran along.
He had brought two sons, so even if Ji Min came looking for him, he could claim this was just about setting up Shen Xingran for a match, and had nothing to do with Lu Ran.
Meanwhile, Ji Min hung up the phone, looked down at his device, and suddenly chuckled.
He didn’t look anything like the cold, lifeless person from when he was reviewing documents earlier.
After the laugh, he noticed Butler Chen and his assistant behind him. He slowly stopped smiling.
Realizing what he had just said on the phone, he sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling a little embarrassed.
“What am I doing, messing around with this kid?”
Butler Chen: “…”
Don’t pretend, you’re obviously happy about it.
In the private room.
Shen Hongyuan enthusiastically said to old Lino, “It’s good when young people can get along. Let them have a chance to know each other better.”
Still cautious about Ji Min, he only nodded toward Shen Xingran.
At that moment, Yan Lino, who was sitting across from them, turned his gaze toward Lu Ran.
He said, “I remember you. The wine you poured for us last time, I still remember it clearly.”
As the second son of the Lino family, Yan didn’t usually stand out much.
However, that one glass of wine from Lu Ran had caused him to speak quite a bit during the negotiations with Ji Min.
Because of that, Yan had a good impression of the wine that Lu Ran had served.
He then turned to look at Old Lino, seeking confirmation, “Father, do you remember? Last time, you even gave it a good taste yourself.”
Old Lino smiled as he glanced at Lu Ran.
Having accepted Shen Hongyuan’s invitation, he had, of course, understood Shen Hongyuan’s intentions.
But he also had his own objectives.
Lu Ran, being a member of the Shen family and having a close relationship with Ji Min, might be the perfect opportunity for him.
Through Lu Ran, perhaps they could stir up some trouble in the business circles of the capital, making it easier for the Lino family to gain a foothold.
Moreover…
Old Lino looked at Lu Ran again, and after a moment of thought, he recalled that this was the same boy who had always been by the old Shen family patriarch’s side if he wasn’t mistaken.
After a brief consideration, Old Lino smiled and nodded, “Of course, I remember.”
Jin didn’t say much else.
He simply gave Lu Ran a suggestive look, then suddenly ran his pink tongue across his lips.
The most surprised and angry person upon witnessing this was Shen Xingran.
What was going on with the three members of the Lino family?
He and Lu Ran were sitting together, yet these three people kept talking about Lu Ran.
He pursed his lips slightly and pretended to be somewhat surprised as he glanced at Lu Ran.
Then, in a soft voice, he said, “Brother, didn’t you always live outside and didn’t even know the simplest way to sober up? Did some kind-hearted person help you?”
The implication was that someone else had poured the wine for them last time, not Lu Ran.
Yan was still reminiscing about his first time speaking confidently in business and didn’t even pay attention to what Shen Xingran was saying.
He simply replied, “What do you know?”
Shen Xingran: “…”
He silently clenched his fists.
What was even more infuriating was that Eldest Young Master Jin also gazed at Lu Ran with deep affection and said, “The intent behind the wine is what matters most.”
Shen Xingran couldn’t hold back any longer and looked at Lu Ran.
Well, well, Lu Ran, this guy who usually appeared clueless about everything.
Now, not only had he mesmerized Ji Min, but even the two young masters of the Lino family seemed to be taken by him.
What kind of trick had he pulled?
The only person in the room who understood what they were talking about—Lu Ran: “…”
He flashed a pure, shy smile at the three members of the Lino family and said, “Shall I go pick a bottle of wine for you three?”
“Of course, of course!” Yan replied.
Jin also squinted his eyes with a smile, “I’m looking forward to it.”
Lu Ran: I’m looking forward to it as well.
He lowered his head to put on a shy expression, then walked out of the private room.
Once outside, Lu Ran asked a waiter for a few glasses, placed them on a tray, and happily headed to the restroom on this floor.
As he entered the restroom, a guest was just finishing and hadn’t zipped up his pants yet.
When the guest saw Lu Ran holding the glasses, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Lu Ran saw someone inside, but he thought it was just perfect.
Meeting the man’s shocked gaze, Lu Ran calmly looked back and gave the restroom a casual inspection, as if he were making a routine check.
Finally, with an apologetic tone, he said to the man who had just finished using the urinal, “Sorry, sir, the flush button on this urinal is broken. It might splash all over you, so you don’t need to flush. I’ll take care of it for you.”
The man was momentarily stunned by his businesslike tone and thought he was a staff member of the restaurant, so he nodded in agreement.
The man zipped up his pants and left.
However, before leaving, he cast a suspicious glance at the tray Lu Ran had placed aside.
Once the man was gone, Lu Ran pulled on two garbage bags over his hands, then picked up the wine glasses from the tray.
He stared at the urinal where the man had just finished for a moment.
The urinals in the restaurant always had ice cubes inside.
At this moment, the slightly yellow ice cubes were still emitting steam.
If it were a situation involving Ji Min, Lu Ran would have diluted the “wine” a bit for Ji Min’s sake.
But now it was a gathering arranged by Shen Hongyuan and Lu Ran couldn’t wait to stir up some trouble.
So, he happily filled each glass with pale yellow ice cubes.
Once he filled them, he still wasn’t satisfied.
He held the long stems of the glasses, then scooped a little more at the bottom of the urinal.
Only when both the “ice cubes” and the “liquid” were sufficiently mixed did he finally feel content.
Lu Ran didn’t bother opening any wine.
What a waste of food.
Instead, he filled the glasses with toilet water and placed them back on the tray.
Once everything was done, Lu Ran looked at the three glasses of “wine” with satisfaction, then carried the tray out of the restroom.
The hallway was empty.
Lu Ran first set the tray down on a nearby table.
He looked at his hands.
Now, Lu Ran had become increasingly sensitive to dirt. Despite wearing two layers of plastic bags, he still felt uncomfortable.
So, he went back to the restroom, pressed two pumps of hand soap, and thoroughly washed his hands.
On the other side, Shen Xingran also found an excuse to leave the private room.
His mood was a bit off.
Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol!
Was the wine Lu Ran served really that good? The whole private room was talking about wine!
Even if it was good, it was because the wine itself was good—what did it have to do with Lu Ran, the one serving it?
Not to mention, Shen Hongyuan hadn’t originally planned to bring him along today.
It was only because he noticed Shen Hongyuan’s arrangement and strongly insisted that he come along.
There were plenty of fish in the pond, but Shen Xingran was not satisfied.
Let alone the fact that he was now even unimpressed by Gu Ningqi.
When he heard that Shen Hongyuan intended to arrange a marriage with the Lino family, who had been living abroad, Shen Xingran immediately became excited.
But now…
Had he come all this way just to be a sidekick for Lu Ran?
That was not the way Shen Xingran operated.
He wanted to be the center of attention, the star everyone admired.
After his anger subsided, Shen Xingran began to think.
What could have made the three members of the Lino family so obsessed with Lu Ran? Did he really have some special technique for pouring wine?
Or perhaps…
Shen Xingran squinted his eyes, could it be that Lu Ran had put something in the wine to attract the attention of the Lino family members?
While pondering this, Shen Xingran turned a corner and spotted Lu Ran’s figure.
Lu Ran had already poured the wine and the three glasses were filled with amber-colored liquid with ice cubes floating in them.
Shen Xingran hid to one side and watched for a while.
He thought he would see Lu Ran put something in the wine, but instead, he just placed the tray aside and went into the nearby restroom.
It looked like he was simply going to the bathroom to wash his hands.
Shen Xingran frowned as he watched for a moment and then a plan began to form in his mind.
He quickly walked over.
Peeking around, he saw Lu Ran carefully washing his hands by the sink.
Shen Xingran glanced at the tray, then reached out and picked it up, heading toward the private room.
Worried that Lu Ran might catch up, he walked briskly.
He didn’t slow down until he reached the door of the private room.
Shen Xingran pushed open the door and everyone’s eyes immediately turned to the tray in his hands.
This was the kind of attention Shen Xingran enjoyed.
He put on a gentle smile and said, “I went outside to have a look, but my brother still hasn’t come back yet.”
“I was worried you might be waiting too long, so I took the liberty of pouring three glasses of wine and bringing them over.”
As he spoke, he mimicked Lu Ran’s slightly shy demeanor, lowering his eyes and saying, “Of course, the taste of the wine I poured might not be as good as my brother’s. I hope you don’t mind.”
After speaking, Shen Xingran placed the three glasses of wine in front of the three members of the Lino family.
Shen Hongyuan glanced at Shen Xingran and smiled, saying, “My son is also quite impressive.”
Shen Xingran had some reputation in the upper-class social circles.
Old Lino smiled and glanced at him, saying, “He’s a good child.”
With that, he politely lifted the glass in front of him.
Seeing him move, his two sons also picked up their glasses.
At the moment they all raised their glasses, they all frowned at the same time, lightly sniffing the wine before exchanging glances.
Seeing their expressions, Shen Xingran thought to himself, “As expected!”
His guess was right!
Lu Ran must have put something in the wine, which was why the three of them couldn’t forget the wine he poured.
Rather than exposing it, why not take his place?
As long as they found that the wine Shen Xingran poured had the same taste, Lu Ran would no longer be the only one.
And Shen Xingran would have the chance to show himself.
Under Shen Xingran’s gaze, the three members of the Lino family suspiciously brought the glasses to their lips.
A triumphant smile curled at the corner of Shen Xingran’s mouth.
Suddenly, the first to drink, Old Lino, sprayed out a jet of water!
Following that, with two more “pfft” sounds, Jin and Yan also immediately spat out the wine.