⌈”You apply it under my guidance.”⌋
Ji Min glanced again at the red marks on Lu Ran’s neck.
He let out a puzzled monosyllable: “Pinch?”
“Yeah!”
Lu Ran replied while pulling his collar down a bit further to show him.
As he moved, another small section of milky white skin on his neck became visible.
Ji Min quickly turned his head away.
The boy was too close. He could almost feel the warmth radiating from that small exposed patch of skin.
Instinctively, Ji Min leaned back to create some distance.
But the wheelchair’s backrest was right there—there was nowhere to retreat.
The boy in front of him, frowning in apparent frustration, added, “I looked up tutorials online, but it’s actually pretty hard. If you don’t get it right, it’s obvious at a glance that it’s fake.”
As he spoke, a hint of pride crept onto his face.
Tilting his chin slightly upward, he continued, “But I’m smart. I started practicing from the lower part of my neck upward. That way, the parts showing on top are all perfect results!”
His tone made it sound like he wasn’t faking kiss marks but conducting some meticulous lab experiment.
Perhaps this proud and self-satisfied demeanor, combined with his enthusiasm to show off to his boss, prompted him to lean even closer, tilting his head to display his neck to Ji Min.
However, the man in the wheelchair seemed utterly fixated on the intricate patterns of the softly lit floor tiles.
His back pressed tightly against the wheelchair as though trying to sink into it.
Only when the faint citrus scent of the boy’s body wash wafted into his nose did Ji Min’s Adam’s apple subtly bob, betraying his restrained reaction.
Lu Ran continued, “Boss, do you want me to make a few for you too?”
Ji Min: “…” These aren’t chickenpox spots. What do you mean, ‘make a few’?
Seeing Ji Min’s lack of response, Lu Ran hurried to explain, “Don’t worry! My technique is very refined now. I won’t break your skin.”
Hearing this, Ji Min’s brows furrowed slightly.
Finally, he turned his head and, with a glance so brief it barely lasted a second, caught a glimpse of the boy beside him.
Lu Ran had already let go of his collar.
However, the crew neck of the sweatshirt hadn’t fully settled back into place, leaving a small patch of skin over his collarbone exposed.
On that small patch of skin, there were still visible red marks, slightly swollen, pressed under the collar.
Ji Min’s gaze sharpened for a moment, scattering all the inappropriate thoughts from his mind.
He frowned, leaned in closer, and lightly pinched the edge of Lu Ran’s collar with his fingertips, pulling it slightly away.
Beneath the collar, even more “practice” marks were revealed.
Some were just red and swollen, with faint fingernail impressions, while others were outright broken skin.
Judging by their appearance, they’d likely come into contact with water during his morning shower and hadn’t even begun to scab.
Etched into what was otherwise healthy, unblemished skin, the sight was quite shocking.
Ji Min’s brows furrowed into a deep knot.
He raised his eyes to glance at the boy, his tone carrying a hint of sternness: “Why are you doing this to yourself?”
“Huh?”
Lu Ran didn’t quite understand why Ji Min was upset. Tugging at his collar a bit, he explained with confusion, “Isn’t your birthday coming up?”
His reasoning was logical.
“On your birthday, there’ll definitely be a lot of people around. Think about it—since I’m staying here with you, I have to play the part, right?”
Ji Min: “…”
He was momentarily speechless, and then, unexpectedly, a wave of anger rose within him.
The anger wasn’t directed at Lu Ran.
It was aimed at himself—at the person who could only justify keeping the boy around with some kind of “job” excuse.
As the collar slipped back into place, it rubbed against the wounds.
Lu Ran winced slightly and tugged at it again.
Ji Min reached out and gently hooked the fabric away for him.
His eyes fixed on the boy’s injuries, his voice deep: “You didn’t need to do something like this.”
One small wound, slightly oozing fluid, had stuck to the fibers of his shirt.
Ji Min extended his fingertip, intending to touch it.
But just as his finger was about to brush against the boy’s skin, he drew it back.
His brow furrowed tightly.
His expression was so serious it was as if the marks on Lu Ran weren’t the result of pinching but some sort of grievous knife wounds.
Lu Ran found Ji Min’s reaction a bit strange.
Lu Ran tilted his head, watching Ji Min for a while. Unable to resist, he leaned in closer, staring directly into Ji Min’s eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
Ji Min responded irritably, reaching out a finger to press against Lu Ran’s forehead and push him back.
Lu Ran grinned cheekily at him, saying, “Boss, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
Ji Min didn’t believe a word of it. He turned his head, looking around for Butler Chen.
When he looked back, the butler was nowhere to be seen.
“It really doesn’t hurt,” Lu Ran insisted.
Ji Min ignored him, frowning as he called out, “Uncle Chen, bring the first aid kit.”
“If you don’t believe me, try it yourself,” Lu Ran suggested.
As he spoke, he reached out and pinched the side of Ji Min’s neck.
Ji Min: “…”
Ji Min had been mid-turn, calling for the butler, and didn’t react in time, taking the pinch head-on.
It didn’t hurt much.
But the spot where he’d been pinched quickly reddened.
Ji Min’s skin was paler—a kind of long-term, sunlight-deprived pallor.
Even the tone of his blood vessels seemed darker than usual.
But this also made the red mark stand out starkly on his neck.
After pinching him, Lu Ran let out a loud “Wow.”
He couldn’t help but lean in for a closer look. “Boss, this mark on your neck is so perfect!”
As he said that, he pulled out his phone and opened the camera app to show Ji Min the “masterpiece”.
Ji Min, who now inexplicably sported a fake hickey on his neck: “…”
He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. “Calm down!”
Butler Chen, who had hurried in with the first aid kit: “…”
He had just stepped out to avoid the situation and now came back to find his boss with a hickey on his neck.
And here he was, gritting his teeth, telling Lu Ran to calm down.
Well, that was smart.
It seemed like avoiding that earlier was indeed a wise move.
Ji Min was absolutely furious.
He threw the first aid kit onto the table, pointing at Butler Chen, “You go and apply the medicine to him.”
Butler Chen hesitated a bit before stepping forward and opening the kit.
As expected, Ji Min’s voice followed, “Let him apply it himself.”
Butler Chen smiled and prepared the iodine and cotton swabs, placing them in front of Lu Ran, then lowered his head and stood aside as a passive observer.
Lu Ran: Rich people really are particular.
He picked up the cotton swab and began applying the medicine, being careful not to stain his collar.
Ji Min watched for a while, unable to stand it anymore.
He let out a slow breath. “Forget it. Come here, I’ll apply it for you.”
Lu Ran handed the cotton swab to him, not forgetting to remind him, “You have to apply it in circular motions, starting from the inside.”
Ji Min said nothing.
His fingers held the cotton swab soaked in medicine, slowly approaching Lu Ran’s wound.
Afraid of staining the clothes, Lu Ran had pulled the collar wide open.
What should and shouldn’t be exposed was fully on display.
Ji Min pursed his lips.
The moment the cotton swab touched Lu Ran’s skin, Ji Min’s usually steady hand trembled, suddenly pulling back.
He didn’t know what his own anger was about.
He crumpled the cotton swab in his hand and threw it into the trash, his ears flushed red from the frustration.
Perhaps it wasn’t just anger.
He stared out the window for a long while, his gaze starting to wander around the room.
Ji Min’s eyes skimmed over Butler Chen.
Butler Chen kept his eyes on the floor, minding his own business and pretending like he wasn’t there at all.
After a moment of silent observation, Ji Min turned his gaze back to the confused-looking boy at the table.
He held back for a while, then said, “You’ll apply it under my guidance.”
Instantly, Ji Min was met with a look from Lu Ran that said, “Are you serious?”
Lu Ran gave him a huge eye roll.
Without further ado, he shrugged off his hoodie and grabbed two or three cotton swabs, dipping them in iodine before carelessly swiping them across the wound a few times.
Done.
After applying the medicine, Lu Ran put his hoodie back on.
But when his head emerged from the collar, he noticed that the man who had been sitting across from him was gone.
He turned around and searched the room, eventually spotting Ji Min in the hallway, looking down as if studying the grass in the yard.
Lu Ran popped two more baozi into his mouth before walking over.
At that moment, Ji Min’s assistant entered.
The assistant bowed slightly to Ji Min and greeted Lu Ran.
He was about to say something when he caught sight of the mark on Ji Min’s neck. His face immediately twitched.
“Mr. Ji…?”
“What is it?” Ji Min interrupted him gruffly.
But he couldn’t help himself and reached up to tug at his collar.
The assistant awkwardly laughed for a moment before saying, “I’ve notified all the guests on the list. But for the Li family, Mrs. Li mentioned that they might be late and asked if you could postpone the banquet…”
Lu Ran was a bit surprised by this.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t the birthday on that day? How can it be postponed?”
The assistant felt a bit embarrassed.
If anyone else had asked, he wouldn’t have mentioned it to Ji Min.
But Mrs. Li was Ji Min’s aunt.
She was also the most beloved daughter of the old master Ji in his later years.
If you count carefully, even though the Ji family was large and wealthy, most of them were distant relatives.
The only person in the Ji family who still had a direct blood relationship with Ji Min was this aunt.
Ji Min’s expression remained neutral as he said, “Tell the Li family that if they can’t make it on time, they don’t need to come.”
The assistant nodded.
After a moment, he added, “The person in the prison has requested to speak with you again.”
This time, Ji Min smiled slightly but didn’t say anything.
The assistant understood his meaning.
He just relayed the message, “A few days ago, the prison guard contacted me and said that his leg was broken. He probably wants to speak with you because of that.”
“What’s so surprising about that? Everything is just following procedure,” Ji Min replied.
His tone was so calm that the teasing thought the assistant had when he first saw the mark on Ji Min’s neck disappeared completely.
When the Ji family took over power, it caused a bloodbath.
Ji Min was stabbed in the back and ended up in a wheelchair at a young age.
But after that, Ji Min only sent his half-brother, the illegitimate child who had tampered with his car, into prison.
Over the years, there had been no further difficulties.
But who could have expected that after all these years, the man would suddenly have his leg broken inside?
The assistant thought to himself that it was probably an accident, maybe while operating a sewing machine.
Ji Min then arranged a few more things, and the assistant left.
Lu Ran, who had been listening nearby, was completely confused.
However, he was sharp about certain things, so he turned to Ji Min and asked, “Are you not close with your aunt?”
“About average,” Ji Min replied.
Lu Ran thought for a moment, then asked in another way.
He bent down to look closely into Ji Min’s eyes and asked, “Did they bully you?”
Ji Min was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.
“No one bullies me,” Ji Min turned to look at the young man. “But there is someone who makes me so angry every day I could die.”
“Who?” Lu Ran asked.
His question was so straightforward.
So straightforward that Ji Min was left speechless for quite a while.
Well, it seemed that this kid really didn’t realize how infuriating he could be.
Ji Min’s birthday party soon arrived.
The day before, Lu Ran was eager to seize the opportunity and make a big move, pushing forward with his “work”.
But on the day of Ji Min’s birthday, he overslept.
The yard had already been decorated.
After breakfast, Ji Min waited for a long time but still didn’t see Lu Ran come downstairs.
He went upstairs, using the remote control to steer his wheelchair toward Lu Ran’s room.
Lu Ran had been staying for a while now.
But other than when Dr. Keimler was called over, Ji Min had never been to his room again.
They lived on the same floor.
But they stayed on opposite sides.
The stairs and elevator shaft in the middle were like a boundary, a division between them.
It was as though it was a line drawn by a man in his heart that he never crossed.
At least, that was the case at night.
Now, Ji Min was steering his wheelchair forward.
The hallway was a little dark, so he had the curtains pulled open.
Once the sunlight flooded in, completely dispelling the darkness, he finally approached Lu Ran’s room.
Ji Min asked the butler, “What time did he come back last night?”
“Around 2 a.m.,” the butler replied.
Ji Min frowned. “What’s wrong with his school? How can they let someone stay in the lab that late?”
As they were talking, they arrived at Lu Ran’s door.
Ji Min raised his hand and knocked on the door.
But with his movement, the door was pushed open slightly.
The man froze outside the door.
After a moment, he looked back at the butler and asked, “Does he sleep without closing the door?”
The butler shrugged.
Ji Min stood there, frowning, and then complained to the butler, “How can he not close the door?”
“Maybe he was just too tired last night when he came back,” the butler replied, brushing it off.
Butler Chen: Only you would care so much about whether the kid locks his door at night.
“The bedroom door inside must be locked,” Ji Min said.
But as soon as he pushed the door open, he saw that the bedroom door was wide open.
From a distance, he could see the boy lying on the bed.
Ji Min: “…”
He took a deep breath, feeling unexpectedly frustrated.
This kid was really too carefree, wasn’t he?
Did he really think of him as an elder?
