CFRFGC Chapter 110

⌈“I don’t know what to find.”⌋

Ji Min was genuinely startled.

“What are you doing here?”

Lu Ran didn’t respond, lowering his head as he burrowed into Ji Min’s embrace.

The night was quiet.

The soft yellow light in the bedroom glowed, while outside, the dark shadows of trees gently swayed in the night wind.

The boy kept inching closer into Ji Min’s arms.

His hair was soft and his body carried the faint scent of minty shower gel.

The humid scent filled the air, making the bedroom feel even quieter.

In this tranquil, solitary atmosphere, Ji Min couldn’t help but close his eyes and let himself indulge for a moment.

He allowed the boy to nestle against him.

Through the thin layer of sleepwear, he could feel the comforting yet stirring warmth of the boy’s body.

With the boy’s light but warm breath against him, Ji Min could feel Lu Ran’s hand tightening around him.

It was as if the boy wanted to stick to him without any gaps between them.

Ji Min felt the boy tilt his head and kiss his chin.

The kisses were urgent, one after the other, carrying a sense of almost anxious desire.

Ji Min closed his eyes and endured it.

Until the boy’s fingers slipped under his nightshirt.

Ji Min gently pressed the boy’s hand down and slowly opened his eyes.

He kissed the boy’s forehead lightly, his voice soft, “Don’t cause trouble, go back to sleep, okay?”

As he spoke, Ji Min gently pushed the boy away, bracing his body with his arm to sit up in bed.

Just as he propped himself up, the boy in the blanket reached out and pulled him back.

“I’m not going back.”

Lu Ran buried his face in Ji Min’s chest and mumbled, “I’m not causing trouble.”

The boy then lifted his face, with a look in his eyes that was almost panicked in its stubbornness.

He straightened up and looked at Ji Min earnestly, “Let’s do it, okay?”

Ji Min froze for a moment before reaching out to ruffle the soft top of Lu Ran’s head.

“Why say this? It’s not urgent right now.”

Lu Ran pursed his lips and wrapped his arms around Ji Min’s waist.

“I’m not joking, I’m serious. Why can’t we?”

Ji Min leaned back against the headboard, lowering his gaze to watch the boy’s tousled hair.

He reached out and gently patted Lu Ran’s back, then tilted his head to look at the warm-colored ceiling light above.

He stared at it quietly for quite some time.

No one knew how Ji Min suppressed the almost painful longing in his heart.

Finally, he gently placed the boy aside and whispered, “You sleep here, I still have some things to do in my study.”

As he spoke, he propped himself up on the bed rail and returned to his wheelchair.

He didn’t linger, immediately using the remote control to move towards the door.

But he hadn’t gone far when he heard movement behind him.

The boy, barefoot, jumped off the bed and quickly caught up with him.

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Lu Ran climbed onto his wheelchair, sitting across his lap.

“I don’t care, I want to do it!”

The person sitting on his lap spoke with such determination.

Ji Min looked up and met the boy’s eyes, which were filled with unease.

He reached out, his thumb gently grazing under Lu Ran’s eye.

He softly asked, “Aren’t you fearless? Why the change now?”

“I’m not scared,” Lu Ran turned his face away.

“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you about the surgery.” Ji Min kissed his eyelid.

Lu Ran rubbed his eyes, then turned back to glare at him.

“Are you going to do it or not? If not, I’ll find someone else!”

The man’s arm wrapped around his waist, leaning back in his chair, and he asked slowly, “Oh? Who will you find?”

“I…” Lu Ran hesitated, babbling, “I’ll find Gu, Gu Ningqi, Zhang Lin, and… and also…”

“Tsk.”

Ji Min reached out and tapped his waist, “You should at least find someone good.”

He was picking out all sorts of mismatched names.

Lu Ran pursed his lips. “Anyway, I…”

The rest of his words were silenced by a kiss.

The kiss was incredibly gentle, soothing Lu Ran’s anxiety and unease with its tender touch.

“Click.”

Ji Min reached out and turned off the bedroom light.

The room instantly fell into darkness.

The streetlights outside began to shine, casting a dim, yellowish light through the half-drawn curtains.

In this dim light, the sound of clothes rustling and the intermittent sounds of kisses filled the room.

After a while, a soft sob echoed.

It was interrupted halfway, the sound’s owner biting it back.

All that remained were gentle, prolonged breaths.

The room grew quiet again.

Ji Min reached out to turn the light back on and slowly returned to the bedside, placing the limp, red-eared boy back onto the bed and covering him with the blanket.

Lu Ran closed his eyes and buried his face into the covers.

Ji Min let out a low laugh.

Immediately, the boy buried himself deeper.

Until the slight “creak” of the wheelchair moving broke the silence. Lu Ran suddenly raised his head and looked at Ji Min.

He reached out and grabbed the man’s sleeve, asking, “Where are you going?”

Ji Min spread his hand, showing his palm.

With a smile, he said, “I’m going to wash my hands.”

Lu Ran: “…”

He slowly withdrew his hand.

The sound of the wheelchair grew distant and faint water sounds could be heard from the bathroom.

Lu Ran’s eyelids grew heavy.

He wanted to wait for Ji Min to come back.

But as his taut nerves finally relaxed, he couldn’t fight the overwhelming urge to sleep.

By the time Lu Ran woke up, it was morning.

He was still lying in Ji Min’s bed, but Ji Min was no longer there.

Lu Ran startled awake, sitting up quickly from the bed. He hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas and hurried downstairs.

When he saw the man sitting in the dining room as usual, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“You’re awake?” Ji Min glanced over at him.

“You… why didn’t you wake me up?” Lu Ran pouted, complaining.

“You slept like a dead pig. Who could wake you up?” Ji Min said.

Lu Ran: “…”

Ji Min gave him a once-over, raising an eyebrow. “With you dressed like that, you didn’t think I’d just leave and go to the hospital without waiting for you, did you?”

Lu Ran, seeing his thoughts exposed, glanced at him, then turned and went upstairs to wash up.

When he came back down, Ji Min was still waiting outside.

But it was clear that everything was already prepared and they were ready to head out.

Lu Ran didn’t say anything.

He had class today, so he silently grabbed his bag and followed Ji Min to the car.

The car drove out of the Ji family’s gate.

The driver hesitated for a moment, asking, “Should we go to…?”

Ji Min replied, “To the school.”

Lu Ran quickly followed with, “To the hospital.”

The two spoke in unison.

The driver: “…”

Ji Min cleared his throat and turned to look at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran didn’t say anything, holding his bag with one hand, silently looking at him.

Ji Min: “…”

He turned back to the driver. “Let’s go to the hospital first.”

Only then did Lu Ran look away.

The car ride was very quiet.

After a while, Lu Ran turned to Ji Min and asked, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Ji Min glanced at him and replied, “In such a short time, what’s there to say?”

Lu Ran stayed silent.

Ji Min went to the New City Private Hospital where Dr. Keimiller works, and it was located in a rather remote area.

The car entered the hospital and then stopped.

The door on Ji Min’s side opened and the wheelchair ramp lowered from the car.

As Ji Min remotely controlled the wheelchair to get out of the car, Lu Ran turned to him and said, “You need to come back after the surgery, alright?”

Ji Min chuckled.

He replied, “Alright, mission accomplished.”

Medical staff arrived outside and took Ji Min to the dedicated surgical floor.

Lu Ran sat in the car.

Normally, every time, Ji Min would drop him off at school.

He would get out of the car and Ji Min would quietly stay inside, watching him leave.

But now, Lu Ran was the one sitting in the car, watching Ji Min’s figure disappear.

He stared for quite a while, until the driver reminded him, “Uh… it’s almost time for class.”

“Oh.” Lu Ran replied, “Then let’s go to school.”

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror, thinking to himself how this couple acted as if the surgery was a life-or-death parting.

On the way, the driver couldn’t help but try to comfort him.

“The president’s surgery is well-prepared, with the top medical team. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Of course.” Lu Ran replied.

But even though he said this, his eyes kept glancing at the empty spot beside him.

Ji Min was off to prepare for surgery.

Originally, Ji Min had planned to leave Butler Chen to accompany Lu Ran, but Lu Ran refused.

So now, the entire Ji household was left with only Lu Ran.

Ji Min had also brought in a temporary butler, but Lu Ran wasn’t very familiar with him.

The meals at home hadn’t changed and the coursework was just as busy as before.

In fact, it was even more hectic now, as it was the end of the semester.

But Lu Ran felt somewhat bored.

Ji Min’s surgery was closed, and Lu Ran had no objections to it. There were plenty of chaotic matters in the Ji family, so it was better to be cautious.

Lu Ran didn’t want Ji Min to be distracted by other things either.

Every day, Ji Min would message him, call him, and talk about the progress of the surgery preparations.

But Lu Ran still felt like something was missing.

Unable to resist, Lu Ran found two more part-time jobs for himself.

He filled the gaps between his coursework completely.

At the fast-food restaurant.

After the busiest time passed, Lu Ran cleaned up the tables and stood at the counter, zoning out.

He counted the time and realized that he hadn’t known Ji Min for very long.

The time they had officially been together was even shorter.

But for some reason, even though he was living the same rushed, work-for-survival life as before, his heart still kept thinking about Ji Min.

Lu Ran took out his phone, opened Ji Min’s chat, and quietly looked at it.

Then he lifted his head and scanned the store.

On the east side of the room, a middle-aged man was reading the newspaper.

At the west side by the window, a tall, long-legged office worker sister was sipping coffee.

“Ding ling.”

The doorbell rang.

The middle-aged man and the office worker sister immediately turned their sharp gazes toward the door.

A muscular man wearing a leather jacket walked in.

Once they recognized the person, the middle-aged man and the office worker sister slowly turned their attention back to what they were doing.

The muscular man approached the counter and ordered five hamburgers.

As Lu Ran entered the order, he couldn’t resist quietly asking, “Do you… get your orders reimbursed when you order here at my part-time job?”

The man scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. “It counts as part of the meals, and everything is reimbursed.”

“Oh, he’s quite generous,” Lu Ran remarked.

After the man left, Lu Ran glanced at a few familiar faces inside and outside the store.

He thought to himself, the business at this fast-food restaurant was probably being supported by these bodyguards.

After working silently for a few days, Lu Ran encountered something else at school.

After his morning class, he was about to pack up and go for lunch when a familiar-looking person found his classroom and asked, “Where’s Lu Ran?”

Lu Ran looked up and gave the person a quick glance.

The man had a naturally smug expression on his face, but he didn’t seem like the type to pick a fight.

He had thin arms and legs, clearly not someone who could hold their own in a fight.

So, Lu Ran directly walked over and asked, “What’s up?”

The man lifted his chin and looked at Lu Ran, not speaking but exaggeratedly clearing his throat.

Lu Ran didn’t understand what he was doing and silently stared at him.

After a while, the man cleared his throat again.

Lu Ran, annoyed, said, “If your throat is bothering you, go see a doctor. This is a veterinary department; I can’t help you here.”

The man’s face immediately turned green, awkwardly saying, “Don’t you remember me? I’m Fang Chen, we’ve met twice. Last time, I even saw you at the Gu family’s place.”

Lu Ran thought hard for a moment, and it was the surname “Fang” that gave him a clue.

He pointed at Fang Chen and said, “Oh, you’re that young master.”

Seeing that Lu Ran remembered, Fang Chen finally relaxed.

But after Lu Ran recognized him, he turned and walked towards the cafeteria.

Fang Chen hurriedly followed him.

By the time they reached the cafeteria, it was already pretty crowded.

Lu Ran was in line getting his meal. When he was about to leave, Fang Chen boldly stopped him, saying, “Hey, hey, hey, I forgot my meal card.”

Lu Ran glanced at him and, without hesitation, swiped his card for him.

Fang Chen, holding his tray, followed Lu Ran like a little tail and ended up sitting across from him.

Coming from a wealthy family and being the youngest at home, Fang Chen was pampered since childhood.

Now that someone had helped him swipe his card, he thought it was only natural and was about to dig in.

But just as his chopsticks were about to pick up some food, Lu Ran suddenly snatched the tray away.

Fang Chen stared at him, bewildered.

“Pay up, or you can forget about eating,” Lu Ran said bluntly, showing his Alipay payment code without a hint of courtesy.

This was the first time Fang Chen had ever encountered someone so bluntly demanding money from him.

He instinctively wanted to get angry.

But as soon as he remembered Lu Ran’s past track record, he immediately backed down, swiftly pulling out his phone.

After scanning the code, he was stunned: “Wasn’t it 18.5 yuan? Why does it show 185 yuan?”

“Because I helped you swipe it,” Lu Ran said confidently.

“You… you…” Fang Chen’s temper flared. “Then I’m not eating!”

“Wasting food is shameful,” Lu Ran said slowly, lifting his tray.

The way he held the tray made it seem like he was ready to throw the food in Fang Chen’s face at any moment.

Fang Chen shivered, quickly paying the amount.

He had probably been swindled secretly a few times in his life, but this time…

It was probably the most blatant one yet.

He lowered his head and reluctantly ate the ridiculously overpriced meal, muttering, “No wonder I heard you don’t have many friends.”

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing!” Fang Chen quickly replied.

After finishing lunch, Lu Ran turned to Fang Chen and asked, “So, what do you want?”

They were still sitting in the cafeteria.

Fang Chen seemed to be lost in thought, clearly feeling embarrassed.

He kept looking around, glancing around like a thief, before finally, just as Lu Ran was about to run out of patience, he leaned in and whispered, his voice dripping with mystery: “Can I borrow your dog for a while?”

“Hm?” Lu Ran raised an eyebrow high. “What do you want to do with Da Huang?”

Fang Chen’s face turned even more embarrassed.

He whispered, “I thought the way you handled things at the Shen family that day was really cool. I want to try it too.”

Lu Ran slowly fell into silence.

He had done such things for so long, and he had heard all sorts of reactions—disgusting, explosive…

Hearing someone call him “cool” was a first.

Seeming worried that Lu Ran might misunderstand, Fang Chen quickly explained, “Recently, I’ve had some idiot cling to me. He’s really disgusting, spreading rumors that I’ve already slept with him. I really want to kill him!”

Fang Chen gritted his teeth as he spoke, unable to stop himself from complaining, “You don’t know, it feels like I’ve been crawled over by a slug!”

Lu Ran interrupted his rant with a light cough and said, “Da Huang’s not available.”

“Ah?” Fang Chen’s face immediately dropped.

“But… the key to what you saw at the Shen family wasn’t Da Huang,” Lu Ran added.

“Then what was it?” Fang Chen asked.

“It was me!” Lu Ran stood up.

An hour later, a scream echoed from a bathroom in a certain teaching building at Y University.

Fang Chen stood outside the bathroom, looking thrilled, his hands red from clapping: “Well done! That was intense!”

Lu Ran remained unmoved, his expression flat as ever.

He removed the disposable gloves from his hands and walked over to the sink to wash up.

Fang Chen excitedly slapped his shoulder. “Good buddy, you helped me out. From now on, we’re friends!”

“From now on, if anyone in Beijing messes with you, just tell them you’re under my protection, Fang Chen!”

The young master was very excited, while Lu Ran silently grabbed a tissue to dry his hands and then pulled out his payment code.

Fang Chen: “…”

“What’s this about?” he asked.

“Pay me. You didn’t think I’d do this for free, did you?” Lu Ran responded matter-of-factly.

A few minutes later, Lu Ran looked at his four-digit earnings, feeling quite satisfied as he left the bathroom.

After helping Fang Chen, he occasionally came around to hang out with Lu Ran.

Over time, people in their field started to realize that Lu Ran had a good relationship with the young master of the Fang family.

The few who had once tried to cause trouble for Lu Ran stopped doing so.

Spending more time together, Lu Ran realized that although this Young Master Fang had been spoiled by his family, he wasn’t actually a bad person.

One weekend, Fang Chen came to the lab to find Lu Ran.

Excited, he suggested, “You must be really bored at home. How about we go out? If you don’t want to, I can just visit your place instead?”

Lu Ran was in the middle of changing into his lab coat.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran turned his head to look.

He stared at Fang Chen for a long while before suddenly asking: “From the very beginning, it was Ji Min who asked you to come find me, wasn’t it?”

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