CFRFGC Chapter 93

⌈Like a shameless competitor.⌋

“That’s all,” Lu Ran said.

He put the remote control back, then sneaked a glance at Ji Min, who was intently playing with the mechanical dog.

Thinking about the gifts Ji Min had received today, he murmured, “I don’t have much money, and maybe I wasn’t fully prepared.”

After a brief pause, he raised his chin slightly and said, “But I’ve put in a lot of effort, so don’t be too picky.”

Ji Min looked up at him and asked, “What if I insist on being picky?”

Lu Ran: “…”

He puffed up his cheeks, reaching out to grab the little dog from the remote control. “Then give it back to me!”

Ji Min blocked his hand, hiding the dog in his palm.

“No,” he quickly said. “I really like them, every single one. I also like the performance you prepared.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran lifted his head to look at Ji Min’s expression, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of his words.

“Really?”

Ji Min, rarely honest, nodded.

He thought for a moment, then spoke slowly and with difficulty: “No one has ever put so much thought into celebrating my birthday.”

“Really?” Lu Ran asked, surprised.

Earlier, to make the remote control more convenient, he had sat down on the floor beside Ji Min’s wheelchair. Now, he leaned on the armrest, looking at him.

“But there were so many people at your birthday party. Haven’t you had it this way since you were little?”

Ji Min just pulled at the corner of his mouth, not speaking.

Lu Ran thought of Ji Yue, whom he’d met earlier today.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Does your family treat you badly too?”

Hearing the word “too” in the child’s question, Ji Min smiled and said, “What, are you comparing me to them now?”

“No, I’m just curious,” Lu Ran replied.

Ji Min ran his fingers over the metal dog in his palm.

He slowly began to recount the past.

“My mother and father had a business marriage. After I was born, my mother moved abroad.”

Ji Min’s mother had passed away when he was five, during a sea voyage.

His father then brought back his first love, which sent Ji Min’s grandfather into the hospital from anger.

The Ji family had rarely produced someone like his father, who was so infatuated with his first love.

Not only did he love her deeply, but he also adored the stepson she brought with her, even planning to leave his shares in the Ji corporation to that stepson.

Ji Min’s life seemed glamorous at the time, but it wasn’t easy.

Because his father favored a stepson with no blood relation, Ji Min, his biological son, was ignored.

Young Ji Min, therefore, placed even more value on blood relations and took care of his illegitimate half-brother.

This was also why Ji Yue acted so fearless these days.

But the end result was that Ji Min was stabbed in the back by that half-brother, losing his leg at a critical moment.

As Lu Ran listened, he placed his chin on the armrest of Ji Min’s wheelchair.

When he heard this, he suddenly straightened up with a gasp.

“So, back then, you thought I was an illegitimate child and that’s why you said those things!”

Ji Min: “…”

He pressed his fingers to his lips, cleared his throat softly, and whispered, “But I apologized to you afterward, didn’t I?”

Lu Ran wasn’t bothered by that.

He put his chin back on the armrest, staring at Ji Min for a while.

The man spoke of old matters with a calm expression.

But his eyes, however, carried a hint of coldness.

“Boss, you’re so pitiful,” Lu Ran said.

He thought for a moment, then asked, “So, the reason you’re so good to me is because our families are so unreliable?”

Ji Min glanced down at him and said, “What do you think?”

Lu Ran gave him a quick glance, then lowered his eyes to look at Da Huang who was lying on the floor playing with a ball. He didn’t respond.

But Ji Min reached out and ruffled his hair, saying, “There are some reasons like that, yes.”

But only some.

Ji Min’s fingers gently combed through the soft strands of Lu Ran’s hair, tenderly brushing it.

He thought back to the day of his car accident.

The car had malfunctioned and Ji Min quickly realized who was behind it.

But instead of feeling emotionally enraged, he regained his composure almost immediately, calmly taking action.

Otherwise, he would have lost more than just his legs.

After being hospitalized and learning of his disability, Ji Min wasn’t surprised. Over the years, he had become acutely aware of the inconveniences in life and the various looks people cast his way.

Ji Min had a terrible temper, but he remained calm at all times.

He clearly understood that this was the price he had to pay for the power struggle in the Ji family and that it was also due to his own poor judgment of people.

As for Ji Chi, whom he had sent to prison, Ji Min only saw him as a defeated opponent.

He wasn’t even particularly angry about being betrayed.

That was, until recently, during the negotiation with Shen Xingyu.

Shen Xingyu had mentioned the engagement.

At that time, Ji Min hadn’t shown any sign of hesitation, replying calmly that he would consider it.

But once he got back, he found himself alone in his room, thinking about it for a long time.

The next day, Ji Min had Butler Chen find a file on suitable candidates from major families.

He put the file on his computer and spent each day seriously going through it.

It was as if he had truly become Lu Ran’s elder.

Carefully screening potential marriage candidates for the child.

He wanted someone from a good family, with good character and strong personal abilities—not just relying on family background.

He set many conditions, scattered here and there.

But the most important condition was: the person must be in good health, without any disabilities.

Ji Min sat at the computer, flipping through the entire file.

He looked like a considerate “elder”.

But he meticulously critiqued every person in the file with sharp words.

Like a shameless competitor.

Finally, as he looked at the blank last page of the document, a rare surge of anger rose within him.

At that moment, he realized that he even wanted to kill Ji Chi.

If it weren’t for Ji Chi, his legs wouldn’t have been broken.

He wouldn’t be sitting in front of this computer, struggling with this unspoken pain and torment, staring at this file.

If it weren’t for Ji Chi, he could rightfully be on this list.

At the very top.

Ji Min thought he could truly resign himself to being an “elder”.

Until that day, when he saw those faint marks on Lu Ran’s neck.

Ji Min lowered his eyes slightly. His fingers, which were tangled in Lu Ran’s hair, moved, brushing aside the ends of the boy’s hair.

Near the collar, the glaring red marks had already faded.

Ji Min’s fingers lightly brushed over them.

He thought to himself, if one day… could he really endure seeing marks left by others on the boy’s body?

The man’s fingers lingered there, reluctant to leave for a long time.

Until Lu Ran couldn’t help but tremble and ask, “…Boss, what are you looking for in my hair?”

Ji Min froze.

He saw the boy lift his head, looking at him with panic, and ask, “There’s no cockroach in my hair, right?”

Ji Min: “…”

He withdrew his hand and lightly patted the boy on the head. “So, you know fear, huh?”

He was about to reach out again to touch his hair.

But Lu Ran covered his head, refusing to let him.

He reached over to gather the four mechanical dogs.

Ji Min raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aren’t these for me?”

Lu Ran: “…”

He fell silent for a moment, looking at the man in the wheelchair with a helpless expression, and said, “Do you think I can afford them?”

Ji Min: “…”

“These were borrowed from a classmate who does big tech stuff,” Lu Ran said, then couldn’t help but raise his face with a hint of pride. “But I did the assembly and programming all by myself!”

Ji Min thought of the dreadful performance earlier and nodded. “I could tell.”

It seemed like he had spent a lot of time learning programming and assembly, likely staying up late for the past few days.

He had even found time to secretly make a cake for him.

The next day, Lu Ran returned the four mechanical dogs.

What he didn’t know was that, soon after, the dogs were bought by a “mysterious person”.

After finishing with Ji Min’s birthday, Lu Ran remembered what Gu Zhi had said that day and decided to visit the Shen family.

Today, there were two cars parked in the Shen family’s courtyard, indicating that guests had arrived.

When Lu Ran entered the living room, he was surprised.

Sitting there was the Lino family.

The three members of the Lino family were chatting with Shen Hongyuan and the atmosphere seemed very peaceful.

There was no trace of the “unpleasantness” from earlier.

Lu Ran thought this was pretty impressive.

Shen Hongyuan was impressive. Last time, Shen Xingran had nearly offended the Lino family, but somehow, Shen Hongyuan managed to smooth things over.

The Lino family was impressive too.

They had drunk that stuff at a dinner hosted by Shen Hongyuan and now they were sitting together with him.

It had to be said that they were adaptable.

But with such a big rift now settled, it was likely that each of them harbored some ill intentions in their hearts.

When Shen Hongyuan saw Lu Ran enter, he was momentarily stunned.

A look of tension immediately appeared on Shen Hongyuan’s face.

He subconsciously glanced at Lu Ran’s feet. When he didn’t see the dog, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Lu Ran hadn’t brought the dog, which meant he didn’t bring any weapons.

Then, thinking about it…

He had just had the trash cans in the first-floor bathroom emptied today.

There shouldn’t be anything left that could give Lu Ran an opportunity to cause trouble.

Shen Hongyuan completely relaxed and gave Lu Ran a gentle smile, asking, “Is school not too busy today? Why are you back so early?”

“I came back to get something.”

Lu Ran paused after stepping inside.

He glanced at the three people seated, then at Shen Hongyuan.

He could feel that these four were all scheming something involving him.

But what Lu Ran cared about wasn’t that.

He looked at Shen Hongyuan and asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing you forgot to give me?”

Shen Hongyuan’s heart skipped a beat at Lu Ran’s question.

He carefully observed Lu Ran’s expression and smiled, asking, “What did you forget? Should I ask your mother later?”

Lu Ran gave him a faint smile. “It’s fine if you don’t say anything.”

He didn’t press Shen Hongyuan further.

Instead, he went to stroll around the backyard.

After seeing him leave, Shen Hongyuan smiled helplessly and shook his head.

He sighed and turned to the Lino family members, saying,

“Don’t mind him. My son is at that lively age, and now he’s forced to stay with that person… it’s normal for his temper to be off.”

The three Lino family members nodded in understanding.

Old Lino sighed deeply, saying, “It’s not easy.”

After Shen Hongyuan finished speaking, he thought about the question Lu Ran had just asked and still felt uneasy.

He found an excuse to get up and follow after Lu Ran.

Once Shen Hongyuan left, the three Lino family members exchanged glances.

Jin spoke up first, asking, “Father, what are your thoughts? Are we really going to give the Shen family a share of this project?”

Old Lino remained calm on the surface but sneered, “There’s no such good thing.”

However, after a moment of contemplation, he said, “But the idea of a marriage alliance is worth considering. Forget that chaotic Shen Xingran; this Lu Ran is acceptable.”

“A marriage alliance?” Jin seemed a little displeased.

He was indeed somewhat interested in Lu Ran.

Moreover, because of Lu Ran’s connection with Ji Min, the thrill of the hunt made it even more enjoyable.

But Jin didn’t think Lu Ran was worthy of a marriage alliance.

It was just something to play with.

He furrowed his brows and said, “Father, this Lu Ran and Ji Min…”

Old Lino noticed the hesitation in his words and coldly replied, “What the hell do you know? It’s precisely because of Lu Ran’s connection with Ji Min that I’m telling you to make a move.”

Jin didn’t understand: “What if Ji Min uses this Lu Ran to deal with us…?”

Old Lino took a puff of his cigar, squinting as he replied: “That’s not necessarily the case. I heard that not long ago, Ji Min looked into a list of eligible candidates from various prominent families. Seems like he’s screening suitable people to connect with Lu Ran.”

As he spoke, Old Lino smiled and sighed.

“It seems Ji Min is truly concerned about him. He even thinks he’s not worthy of Lu Ran and is willing to protect him for a lifetime behind the scenes.”

Old Lino looked up at Jin and said: “If you can get Lu Ran to care about you, maybe this is our Lino family’s opportunity!”

Meanwhile, Shen Hongyuan found Lu Ran, who looked like a bandit, checking room by room in the villa.

“What are you looking for?” Shen Hongyuan stepped forward.

But he was stopped by two bodyguards who were following Lu Ran.

Lu Ran didn’t beat around the bush, directly asking, “Where’s the gift that the Gu family sent me?”

Hearing this, Shen Hongyuan was first stunned, then, without showing it, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He said, “Oh, I thought you were asking about something else. How could I keep the gift meant for you? I just didn’t find the chance to give it to you yet.”

Saying this, Shen Hongyuan went upstairs, opened his study door, and took out a gift box from inside, handing it to Lu Ran.

Lu Ran glanced down and saw that it was a watch.

It looked quite valuable.

But if this had been something Shen Xingran secretly took to wear, Lu Ran could understand.

However, he didn’t think Shen Hongyuan would go so far as to hide a watch.

“Is this all?” Lu Ran asked.

Shen Hongyuan’s eyes were calm as he replied, “The Gu family’s relationship with our family has cooled a lot in recent years. A watch as a gift is understandable.”

Lu Ran looked at Shen Hongyuan for a long moment, said nothing, and put the watch away.

He didn’t continue to stare at Shen Hongyuan, wandering the hallway for a bit.

It was a bit of a surprise when he ran into Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo had just come out of the bathroom and seemed a little surprised when he saw Lu Ran.

Then his eyes brightened: “You little rascal actually came back!”

“Tell me, did that guy, Ji, bully you?” He said, reaching to put his arm around Lu Ran’s neck.

Halfway through the gesture, it was stopped.

Shen Xingzhuo looked up and saw two bodyguards standing on either side of Lu Ran.

“What’s this about?”

He raised an eyebrow, swatted the bodyguards’ hands away, and tried to put his arm around Lu Ran again.

But his hand was blocked firmly.

The bodyguard spoke in a deep voice: “Sorry. Mr. Ji gave instructions that no one from the Shen family is allowed within two meters of Young Master Lu Ran.”

Hearing this, Shen Xingzhuo’s brows shot up.

“He’s got some nerve to control everything? I’m his brother!”

The senior bodyguard replied straightforwardly: “Mr. Ji instructed that special attention should be paid to stopping people who claim to be his brother.”

Shen Xingzhuo: “…”

Lu Ran didn’t bother with him further and asked directly: “Do you know what the Gu family sent me on the night I officially returned?”

“Hm? They actually sent something?”

Seeing his reaction, Lu Ran lost interest in continuing the conversation with Shen Xingzhuo and turned to head back to the living room.

But after taking a couple of steps, he glanced back at the bathroom door behind Shen Xingzhuo and asked, “Did you just go in?”

“Yeah.” Shen Xingzhuo nodded.

Hearing this, Lu Ran finally gave him a smile and said, “Nice job.”

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