CFRFGC Chapter 108

⌈No one can take away what belongs to him.⌋

The two of them stood awkwardly at the entrance, lingering inexplicably for a moment.

It wasn’t until someone noticed Ji Min and came over to greet him that they finally entered together.

This wasn’t Ji Min’s first time bringing Lu Ran to such an event. However, this time, catching the glances of others, Ji Min’s feelings were slightly different.

He turned his head to look at Lu Ran, only to find that the boy was already looking at him.

“What’s wrong? Thinking about how to show off your skills?” Ji Min asked, deliberately emphasizing the words “show off your skills”.

Usually full of enthusiasm for such things, Lu Ran, now sulking after that earlier indirect jab at his inexperience, uncharacteristically dodged the topic.

He huffed and said indignantly, “I’m not your employee right now. I’m not doing thankless tasks!”

Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

His boldness had certainly grown.

This salon wasn’t large in scale, but it was considered one of the industry’s most private and elite gatherings.

Aside from Ji Min, the rest of the attendees were older.

As a result, the event felt worlds apart from the lavish parties of wealthy heirs, exuding an air of restraint and calm instead.

Outdoors, there was a tranquil, Zen-inspired garden.

Indoors, apart from a few industry heavyweights chatting in small groups, a sound therapist behind a screen gently struck a singing bowl further in.

Ji Min’s seating spot was far from where the sound therapy was taking place, so he could only faintly hear the reverberations of the bowl.

Wide-eyed at the scene, Lu Ran couldn’t help but mutter, “What kind of middle-aged and elderly meetup is this?”

Ji Min: “…”

Across from Ji Min, a middle-aged man burst into laughter at the comment.

He pointed at Lu Ran and said, “This kind of setting is too much for you youngsters.”

Then, turning back, he addressed Ji Min in the tone of someone speaking to a peer, “Ah, young kids just don’t understand our tastes.”

Ji Min: “…”

Wait, hold on. Who’s in a group with you?

The man looked kindly at Lu Ran and asked, “You’re in university now, right? Which one?”

The tone was so much like an elder’s that Lu Ran quietly glanced at Ji Min before truthfully answering.

The man then inquired about his exam scores. Upon hearing them, he nodded approvingly and turned to Ji Min, saying, “For people like us, seeing the younger generation succeed makes us happier than anything.”

Ji Min: “?”

Why did that comment sound a little odd?

Before he could dwell on it, the two men shifted to discussing business.

Ji Min rarely let his mind wander when talking about work. Usually, he would let Lu Ran amuse himself, but this time the boy was unusually quiet, sticking close to him without going anywhere.

Ji Min found his attention repeatedly drifting back to the boy.

Lu Ran sat there, listening to the conversation, though the topic didn’t interest him much. Soon enough, his focus began to wander.

He noticed a color-changing citrus-shaped tea pet[mfn]Tea pet or tea lover’s pet also known as chachong, is a small pottery figure that is kept by some tea drinkers for good luck.[/mfn] on the table and, curious, reached out to pick it up.

But just as his fingers were about to touch it, Ji Min—who had been earnestly discussing the allocation of a multi-billion-dollar project—beat him to it, scooping up the tea pet into his palm.

The small tea pet rested in Ji Min’s large hand, which began casually fiddling with it, his movements unhurried and seemingly unintentional.

Lu Ran watched for a moment before reaching into Ji Min’s hand to grab it.

As soon as he did, Ji Min performed a sleight-of-hand move, seamlessly transferring the tea pet from his right hand to his left, as if by magic.

The man across from them: “…”

The room still smelled of burning sandalwood and the soft tones of the singing bowl lingered in the background.

Yet, somehow, a strong scent of romance wafted through the air.

Looking at Ji Min opposite him, the man hurriedly suppressed his rising thoughts.

He remembered the last time Ji Min brought this boy to a business forum.

At the time, everyone present had misunderstood their relationship.

But Ji Min had solemnly clarified it.

Every word exchanged by the man earlier clearly conveyed his protective fondness for the young man, treating him as a junior. None of them dared risk offending Ji Min.

Meanwhile, someone else who had been observing the entire interaction couldn’t hold back a teasing remark, “President Ji sure is different from us old fogeys, watching young couples being affectionate.”

As soon as the comment left his lips, Ji Min didn’t even react before the first man quickly grabbed him, frantically winking while reprimanding, “What nonsense are you spouting? It’s a proper senior-junior relationship; don’t get the wrong idea!”

Ji Min suddenly remembered something: “…”

Lu Ran, who had just won back the tea pet: “…”

The man across from them, worried that Ji Min might be upset, hurriedly added, “President Ji clearly cares for his juniors! He even clarified this before!”

This time, Lu Ran heard every word, loud and clear.

He quietly turned to look at the man in the wheelchair.

Ji Min: “…”

Wait, I can explain.

But before he could open his mouth, the boy next to him raised an eyebrow.

Just as Ji Min began worrying about whether Lu Ran might get angry, he heard the youth speak with a sly grin, “At home, you call me your boyfriend; outside, you call me your junior. Boss, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person!”

With that one sentence, Lu Ran managed to pack in three distinct titles, hitting all the critical points.

It was explosive enough to make the middle-aged and older crowd snap their heads around, their eyes wide as they stared at the two of them.

Their gazes were filled with astonishment as if witnessing some kind of groundbreaking scandal.

The way they looked at Ji Min was even more complicated.

Even the sound therapist stopped striking their singing bowl.

In the end, Ji Min endured the judgmental stares that seemed to label him a predator, as he led Lu Ran out of the salon.

Once they exited the Twin Towers, Lu Ran burst into uncontrollable laughter, nearly unable to catch his breath.

Ji Min pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. “You still have the nerve to laugh?”

Lu Ran straightened up, entirely unapologetic. “Why wouldn’t I laugh?”

Ji Min had left early, so the parking lot was relatively empty.

Lu Ran leaned in close, squinting as he studied him.

“Boss, I’ve long since noticed—you really love playing the role of my elder.”

Then—

The boy suddenly leaned closer and kissed the corner of Ji Min’s lips.

Tilting his head back, taking advantage of the moment just after the kiss, he looked up and called out sweetly, “Uncle Ji?”

Ji Min: “…”

It took him several seconds to process what had just happened. Then he snapped back to reality, raising a hand to swat at the boy’s waist.

“Stop spouting nonsense!” he scolded in a low voice.

Lu Ran laughed as he darted away, pointing back at him and saying, “That’s exactly something an Uncle Ji would say!”

Ji Min was so enraged he nearly lost it. Sitting in his wheelchair, he chased the boy halfway across the parking lot.

Once they got into the car, Ji Min glanced at the grinning child.

Staring out the window, Ji Min’s mind wandered back to why he had been so eager to act like an “elder” in the first place.

He vaguely remembered that when he and Lu Ran first met, the boy had seemed to prefer Butler Chen.

Every time Lu Ran saw the butler, there was an instinctive warmth in his demeanor.

Those well-behaved eyes had been filled with admiration for an elder.

Although… everything that followed stemmed from Ji Min’s own tenderness toward the boy.

Now, even Ji Min wasn’t sure anymore.

At the very beginning, was it possible that, unconsciously, all he wanted was to have a bit of Lu Ran’s devoted gaze directed at himself instead?

“Anywhere else you want to go?” Ji Min asked.

“Anywhere else…”

Lu Ran racked his brain for a long time, tapping his head lightly before suddenly exclaiming in horror, “I still have an assignment I haven’t finished!”

Ji Min, who had been ready for a proper date: “…”

Assignments, assignments.

He very un-elder-like thought to himself: Why do college students these days have so much homework?

In the end, Ji Min still took him back home.

Upon returning to the Ji residence, they found Ji Yue waiting outside in her car rather than going inside.

When she saw Ji Min arrive, she rolled down her car window and said, “We’ll be leaving the country soon, so I came to take a look.”

Hearing her voice, Lu Ran poked his head out to look.

When Ji Yue saw Lu Ran, her mind involuntarily flashed to the image of Gu Ningqi and Shen Xingran’s tragic fall into the manure pit.

For a moment, her smile stiffened noticeably.

Still, she forced a brighter smile and greeted him. “Oh, Lu Ran is here too?”

This greeting, however, immediately upset Ji Yue’s son, who was in the car with her.

He grumbled, “Mom, why are you smiling at him? He’s—”

Before he could finish, Ji Yue shot him a fierce glare and gritted her teeth, scolding, “If you don’t want to end up eating sh**, shut your mouth!”

Once inside the courtyard, Lu Ran paid no mind to Ji Yue’s visit.

Thinking about his unfinished assignment, he hurriedly ran upstairs.

Ji Min cast Ji Yue a glance and led her to the tea room.

Inside the tea room, as Da Huang rolled around in the courtyard, Ji Min skipped the pleasantries and asked directly, “Why are you here?”

Ji Yue claimed she had just come to visit before leaving.

But Ji Min knew better. Ji family members never did anything without a reason.

Ji Yue didn’t bother denying it. She hesitated briefly, frowning before asking, “I heard you’ve been in contact with a trust company?”

Ji Min’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Yes, is there a problem?” Ji Min asked.

Ji Yue was momentarily stunned by his response.

“But you… you didn’t add Lu Ran as a beneficiary of the trust, did you…?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ji Min countered.

Ji Yue stared at him in disbelief, muttering, “You’ve completely lost your mind.”

Even though she had anticipated it, Ji Yue still found it difficult to accept when she heard Ji Min’s confirmation.

The Ji family valued their wealth above all else.

Yet Ji Min, at his age, had handed over all of his assets to a trust company to manage—essentially relinquishing ownership and retaining only the right to allocate it.

Ji Yue quickly realized that this move was entirely for Lu Ran’s sake.

In fact, it was a meticulously calculated plan.

Ji Min was preparing for the worst. He intended to leave all his assets, including future earnings, for Lu Ran.

But Lu Ran was still too young.

If Ji Min relied solely on a will, transferring such a substantial fortune to a young man would inevitably attract covetous eyes.

By placing it under trust, things were different.

Lu Ran wouldn’t have to bear the weight of possessing great wealth or worry about managing it.

All he needed to do was live well and he would be secure and have everything he needed.

Even those who might harbor malicious intentions toward Lu Ran would think twice when considering the ongoing returns tied to his life.

Ji Min had accounted for everything, down to the smallest detail.

“You…”

For a moment, Ji Yue didn’t know what to say.

Her instinct was to ask Ji Min to include her son as a beneficiary of the trust as well.

But before she could voice her request, Ji Min looked up at her.

His voice was cold, each word deliberate.

“He’s had nothing since he was young. So from me, no one can take what belongs to him.”

Ji Yue was left speechless, stunned into silence.

But the Ji family never gave up easily when it came to vying for interests.

Ji Yue knew exactly what Ji Min cared about most since he was a child.

With a mocking smile, she said, “I didn’t expect you to end up just like your father, throwing everything away for some fleeting romance.”

Unexpectedly, the topic that used to unsettle Ji Min as a child now left him unusually calm.

“Maybe so,” Ji Min replied evenly. “I haven’t touched anything belonging to the Ji family. As for my own assets, I have the right to decide how they’re allocated.”

At that moment, Ji Yue simultaneously thought her once-familiar nephew was utterly foolish and yet somehow unyieldingly resolute.

“Why are you so…” Ji Yue’s frustration spilled over, unable to find the right words. “Behind him is nothing but the insignificant Shen family. They can’t offer you or the Ji family any advantage!”

“He doesn’t need to,” Ji Min said.

His gaze drifted through the transparent glass of the tea room to a room on the east side of the second floor.

In a soft voice, the man said: “His existence alone is the greatest meaning for me.”

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