⌈”Be careful.”⌋
The scene in the private room was momentarily overwhelming.
It was likely because Shen Hongyuan’s earnest attempt to promote his son had been so heartfelt just moments ago.
Although the alcohol had a peculiar smell, Old Lino didn’t think twice before taking a large sip.
And the result was…
That peculiar-smelling liquid shot out of his mouth like a fountain.
It sprayed far and wide.
Across the dining table, past Shen Hongyuan, whose eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets.
And landed directly on Shen Xingran, who was sitting across the round table.
Although Old Lino’s two sons hadn’t drunk much, their reactions weren’t much better.
Yan took one sip and it was like a celestial fairy scattering blossoms, spraying liquid everywhere.
Old Lino’s attack was long-range, but Yan’s was a chaotic, indiscriminate splatter.
Meanwhile, Jin tried hard to maintain his elegant “refined fisherman” persona, forcing himself not to spit it out.
But the taste was unbearable for anyone.
So, the “liquor” silently trickled down from the corners of his mouth and chin, leaving a trail of wet marks on his lapel.
Shen Hongyuan was stunned.
He looked at Shen Xingran, then at the Lino family, and hurriedly stood up to ask, “What’s going on here?”
Old Lino clutched his chest, stomped his foot, and pointed at Shen Xingran across the table, completely at a loss for words.
He and his two sons frantically scrambled for the water glasses on the table.
Once they grabbed them, they quickly took a gulp, only to hesitate midway, unsure whether they should spit or swallow the water meant for rinsing. They darted around the table in utter panic.
After barely suppressing the taste in his mouth, Old Lino finally pointed at Shen Hongyuan, then at Shen Xingran, and furiously shouted, “What on earth did you serve us? Toilet water?”
Yan chimed in indignantly, “Exactly! What did we do to offend you? Look at what kind of rubbish you’ve served us!”
Shen Xingran was utterly dumbfounded.
The smugness in Shen Xingran’s eyes hadn’t even dissipated when he hurriedly attempted to explain, “No, I didn’t—”
Shen Hongyuan also stepped in, “There must be some misunderstanding. My son has always been very meticulous in what he does…”
“Misunderstanding?” Old Lino exploded in rage.
He raised his hand and splashed the remaining half-glass of “liquor” directly onto Shen Hongyuan’s face. “Why don’t you taste the misunderstanding for yourself!”
Splat.
Shen Hongyuan wiped his face with his hand and fell silent.
After a moment of silence, he turned to Shen Xingran and unleashed his fury, “You unfilial brat! What kind of drink did you serve? Who told you to bring something this disgusting to insult our guests?”
Seeing even Shen Hongyuan scolding him, Shen Xingran panicked.
He hadn’t done anything wrong!
He didn’t tamper with anything—he had only brought over the wine that Lu Ran had prepared!
Recalling how Lu Ran had been in the restroom when he went to get the wine, Shen Xingran suddenly paused.
Lowering his gaze, he looked at the “wine stains” on his clothes from earlier. Carefully, he pinched his clothing and took a sniff. His face instantly turned green.
Faced with the furious expressions of the Lino family and Shen Hongyuan, Shen Xingran had no time to think.
He quickly confessed, “Uncle, and my two elder brothers, I’m sorry! This wine… it wasn’t poured by me. It was actually my older brother Lu Ran who poured it. I just brought it over!”
“You’re full of crap!” Old Lino jabbed a finger at him, shouting, “You just said earlier that you poured it yourself!”
“I-I…”
Shen Xingran, who had always been the one accusing others, had never experienced being caught in such a situation where he couldn’t explain himself.
Left with no choice, he gritted his teeth and admitted his fault, “It’s my fault. I lied at first.”
But no matter how much he explained, the three across the table only assumed he was shirking responsibility and refused to believe him.
Jin sneered coldly, “You’re saying your brother poured it? I’ve had your brother’s wine countless times and nothing ever happened. How come the moment you’re involved, this disaster occurs?”
“Exactly!” Yan fumed. “The urine you poured can’t even compare to the fine wine your brother serves!”
Shen Xingran stomped his foot in frustration. “But this was poured by Lu Ran!”
The Lino family remained utterly unconvinced.
“Hah! The wine your brother pours has a unique, subtly bitter fragrance. How could it be the same as this stuff, which tastes like it was scooped out of a toilet?”
At that moment, Lu Ran stepped out of the restroom and immediately noticed that the tray he had left aside was missing.
For a split second, even he froze in disbelief.
Let it not be that someone unknowingly served that and drank it.
But Lu Ran thought about it for a moment and quickly deduced who was behind the mess.
He quietly returned to the private room.
Peeking through a small crack in the door, he happened to catch Old Lino spraying wine out of his mouth.
Lu Ran relaxed a little.
The right thing being drunk by the right person—it made perfect sense.
Standing just outside the door, he silently watched the scene unfold for a while.
It wasn’t until Shen Xingran began frantically trying to defend himself that Lu Ran pushed open the door and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered, he fanned the air with a look of distaste. “Ew… why does it smell like a toilet in here?”
The moment Shen Xingran saw him, he almost lost it completely.
Pointing at Lu Ran, he shouted, “You’ve got some nerve! Wasn’t it you who poured this wine?”
Lu Ran looked at him with feigned astonishment.
His eyes showed a flicker of confusion and disbelief before he sighed. Then, in a tone filled with unmistakable grievance, he said, “If that’s what you and Father think, then sure, let’s just say I poured it.”
Shen Xingran was dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the sheer “tea” energy emanating from Lu Ran.
This was the first time in his life that he’d been served a cup of tea this strong!
As expected, Jin and Yan across the table immediately erupted in righteous indignation.
“Shen Xingran, now you’re even slandering him?”
Old Lino finally had enough.
Standing up, he pointed at Shen Hongyuan and scolded, “Look at the kind of son you’ve raised! Want to form a marriage alliance with the Lino family? No way!”
“As for the competition on this project, the Lino family won’t hold back at all!”
With that, he flung his hand and stormed out of the private room with his two sons in tow.
Seeing the situation unravel, Shen Hongyuan hurried after them.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to slap Shen Xingran across the face. “Look at the mess you’ve made!”
Shen Xingran took the slap squarely, without a chance to dodge.
In no time, the once-boisterous private room was left with only Lu Ran and Shen Xingran.
Covering his stinging cheek, Shen Xingran glared at Lu Ran with resentment.
“You knew I was going to take the wine you poured, so you deliberately set this trap to mess with me!”
Lu Ran paused for a moment.
With a sincere tone, he replied, “This time, I really didn’t.”
Of course, Shen Xingran didn’t believe him, convinced that Lu Ran had planned this all along.
When Lu Ran left the restaurant, he saw Ji Min’s car waiting outside.
Getting into the car, he greeted Ji Min with surprise. “Boss, why are you here?”
Ji Min glanced at him and said flatly, “Passing by.”
Butler Chen, who was seated in the passenger seat: Your version of ‘passing by’ is truly… elaborate.
Lu Ran paid no mind to these small details.
After getting into the car, he couldn’t help but lean over the backrest of Ji Min’s wheelchair, enthusiastically recounting how Shen Xingran had served the “pure liquid” to the Lino family.
When he finished, he even sighed regretfully. “Why did those few glasses have to end up in his hands?”
“You’re unhappy?” Ji Min asked.
“Of course! It would’ve been so much more satisfying to serve it myself!” Lu Ran said with glee.
Ji Min, who had hurried over worried that someone might take advantage of Lu Ran: “…”
Alright, he had clearly overthought things.
Now that the Lino family had been offended at such a critical juncture, Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingyu were likely going to be swamped for days trying to smooth things over.
For several days, Shen Hongyuan didn’t have the time to bother Lu Ran.
Meanwhile, another topic had become the talk of the high society circles in Jing City: Ji Min’s upcoming 29th birthday.
The prominent families connected to the Ji family, as well as companies with business dealings with Ji Corporation, had already started making preparations.
However, not just anyone could attend Ji Min’s birthday banquet.
The Ji residence, usually quiet, had recently become unusually lively.
A professional team had arrived to plan and decorate for the event.
Yet during this time, Lu Ran had been inexplicably busy, running around constantly and barely showing his face.
On two occasions, he had even forgotten to take Da Huang out for a walk, leaving the task to Butler Chen instead.
By Saturday morning, Ji Min couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.
After finishing breakfast, he glanced upstairs and asked Butler Chen, “What’s he been so busy with lately? Did he come back late last night?”
Butler Chen smiled but didn’t reply.
Ji Min lowered his gaze, took a sip of tea, and frowned. “How can a kid stay out so late?”
“Perhaps he’s preparing a birthday gift for you,” Butler Chen said lightly.
Ji Min froze for a moment.
Not long after, Lu Ran came downstairs, yawning.
He had returned in the early hours of the morning, and now his hair was a mess from sleep.
When he reached the dining area, his voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
“Good morning, Boss,” Lu Ran mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Ji Min, recalling Butler Chen’s earlier comment, quickly averted his gaze.
He cleared his throat and asked, “Why have you been so busy lately? Coming back so late every night?”
There was a faint hint of expectation in his tone.
But the boy by the table simply tilted his head back to gulp some water, muttering vaguely, “Mmm… just some stuff.”
Ji Min’s peripheral vision caught sight of him, and his gaze involuntarily sharpened.
The boy tilted his head back to drink, revealing the pale curve of his neck, where a small red mark peeked out from under his collar.
Not just one.
Through the gaps of his shirt, faint traces of more marks could be seen, scattered along his skin.
Bright crimson against his milky, healthy complexion—it was strikingly conspicuous.
Ji Min froze for a moment, then quickly looked away toward the window.
His first instinct was to wonder if there had been mosquitoes recently.
Or perhaps the boy had developed an allergic reaction to the bed linens or the fabric of his clothes.
But such things, while plausible elsewhere, were impossible in Ji Min’s meticulously maintained residence.
Ruling out these possibilities and considering Lu Ran’s recent late nights, another answer emerged—one he couldn’t ignore.
Ji Min’s fingers tightened around his glass.
Realizing it, he deliberately loosened his grip.
Yet the discomfort lingered. He raised his hand and set the glass down on the dining table.
In that fleeting moment, Ji Min’s emotions were a tangled mess.
An unfamiliar surge rose within him, tearing at his chest.
And beneath it, anger.
Anger directed at whoever had left those marks on the boy.
Yet amidst the storm of emotions, Ji Min thought of something else: Lu Ran was already nineteen.
Although… in his eyes, Lu Ran always seemed like a child. Legally, however, he was an adult.
Children from families like theirs tended to mature early.
Plenty had caused scandals as teenagers.
By comparison, Lu Ran was late to the game.
But the tug in his chest persisted, unrelenting.
Ji Min’s fingers trembled slightly. He struggled to suppress the impulse to do something—anything.
For instance, pulling the boy into his arms.
Pressing his thumb against the marks on his neck.
Replacing them with something stronger, something his own.
But Ji Min was grateful.
Grateful that Lu Ran was sitting far from him. Grateful for the wheelchair that restricted his movement.
It stopped him from doing something truly terrible.
Ji Min’s mind raced. He had always seen himself as a mentor, a figure of authority to Lu Ran.
He had always regarded him as a child.
And as a mentor, shouldn’t he say something now?
Perhaps advise the boy to take care of his health?
Ji Min felt he had to speak, to say something—anything.
He had to use words to suppress the surge of impulses buried deep in his bones, muscles, and nerves.
“You…”
Ji Min heard his own dry voice as he spoke. “Recently started dating? A girlfriend or… a boyfriend?”
“Hmm?” Lu Ran looked up, a half-eaten shrimp ball between his teeth.
Ji Min forced himself to sound calm, though his voice betrayed a struggle. “Just… be mindful of boundaries.”
As soon as he finished, he swiftly turned his wheelchair, intending to leave.
But before he could make his escape, the boy at the table lit up with excitement.
Setting down his chopsticks, Lu Ran dragged his chair closer, sliding it with him until he was right next to Ji Min.
Ji Min wanted to retreat.
He wanted to say, “Don’t come so close right now.”
What if he couldn’t control himself.
But then the boy, his bright eyes wide with curiosity, suddenly tugged at his collar and leaned in.
“Boss, did you see this?”
In the next instant, that warm, milky-white skin moved even closer to Ji Min’s line of sight.
He could see the faint blue veins beneath, subtly rising and falling with each breath.
And the gentle tremor of his carotid artery pulsing under the skin.
Ji Min’s jaw tightened, his muscles clenching briefly before he turned his head away in a flustered attempt to regain control, biting down on the itch gnawing at his teeth.
Then, the boy in front of him spoke, his tone almost triumphant.
“Boss, doesn’t it look convincing? Look at how well I pinched it!”
Ji Min: “?”
![Dissatisfied [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/4997572.jpg "Dissatisfied [e-sports]")
