⌈”You really fell down?”⌋
In the bathroom.
Ji Min stood in a stall, staring at the toilet for a long time.
Not far behind him, Butler Chen stood silently, waiting.
Ji Min slowly crouched down, extending his gloved hand, pausing for a while.
He couldn’t bring himself to go through with it.
He stood back up, silently building himself up mentally.
Butler Chen glanced at the time.
Looking at Ji Min’s hesitant stance, he kindly reminded, “Sir, if you really can’t bring yourself to do it, perhaps I should take over?”
Ji Min pressed his forehead with a sigh.
He waved his hand toward Butler Chen, “No, he said I have to do it myself. How can I let you handle it?”
Ji Min was particularly firm about his principles in such matters.
Butler Chen didn’t insist, continuing to wait quietly.
A few more minutes passed.
Ji Min was still crouching in front of the toilet, preparing himself mentally.
Butler Chen, feeling helpless, reminded again: “If you don’t hurry, Shen Cheng will be leaving soon. Otherwise… you could just scoop a cup from the dirty water bucket in the kitchen?”
Butler Chen tried his best to help the boss find a solution.
Unexpectedly, Ji Min shook his head firmly, “No, that won’t do. If I hide it from him and he finds out, he’ll be angry. What then?”
Lu Ran was terrifying when angry.
The wait was unbearably long.
Ji Min definitely didn’t want to go through that again.
But he also knew he had stalled for too long.
He sighed deeply and looked at Butler Chen. “…You go out first.”
Butler Chen fell silent.
Though he regretted not witnessing the boss’s “fall from grace” at the moment, he ultimately left the room respectfully.
A little while later.
Ji Min emerged with his sleeves rolled up, wearing seven or eight layers of disposable gloves, and carrying two cups.
His face was stern, moving cautiously as if he was holding not toilet water but dangerous molten lava.
He placed the cups on the discarded tray.
Ji Min immediately took off the gloves and went back to wash his hands thoroughly.
Only then did Ji Min carry it out.
In the yard, Shen Cheng had already sat down again in front of Lu Ran.
When they saw Ji Min, the dignified chairman of the Ji Corporation, personally bringing over a tray, both of them immediately turned their heads to give him a nod of acknowledgment.
Shen Cheng was flattered.
Lu Ran, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow in surprise, holding back a laugh as he shot Ji Min a look: “You really did it, huh?”
Ji Min: “…”
He knew this guy was just messing with him.
Ji Min personally served the drinks.
Shen Cheng, not daring to remain seated, immediately stood up and reached out to take it.
At this moment, he was genuinely surprised.
With the recent trouble at the Shen family, his usual source of money had dried up.
He had heard that the Shen Corporation had been handed over to this lost kid, Lu Ran, who also had Ji Min backing him.
So he figured he might as well try his luck and take advantage.
Shen Cheng never planned on leeching off Lu Ran the way he did with Shen Hongyuan, especially since Ji Min wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
He just hoped to make a quick score, solve his immediate problem, and pay off the gambling debts he had been racking up.
Originally, seeing the dignified head of the Ji family showing so much favor to Lu Ran, he was already surprised.
Now, seeing Ji Min actually serving him drinks, Shen Cheng felt even more convinced that he had come to the right place!
Of course, he wasn’t worthy of Ji Min personally serving him drinks.
So, what did this gesture mean? It clearly meant Ji Min was doing it for Lu Ran!
He never expected Ji Min would go to such lengths for Lu Ran.
It was truly terrifying!
Shen Cheng’s mind immediately started to work.
Seeing things this way, as long as he could handle Lu Ran, what good things couldn’t he get?
Shen Cheng’s attitude became particularly eager.
At first, he thought only one glass of wine was meant for him, but after Ji Min placed the whole tray in front of him, he was even more flattered.
“Thank you, President Ji!” Shen Cheng quickly said.
Ji Min: “…”
He didn’t respond, silently sitting down next to Lu Ran.
Lu Ran, holding back a laugh, leaned in to ask him, “Why did you pour two glasses?”
Ji Min was silent for a moment before answering: “I’m not experienced, so I was worried I might mess up. Making an extra glass increases the margin for error.”
Seeing his perfectly serious expression, Lu Ran couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Ji Min raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
He reached out and grabbed his fingers.
Lu Ran immediately pulled his hand back and whispered, “Hey? You didn’t wash your hands, yet you’re grabbing me!”
“No, I did,” Ji Min replied.
He didn’t release Lu Ran’s fingers.
Taking advantage of the height of the round table in front of them, he even went a step further, pushing his fingers into the gaps between the boy’s fingers.
He tried to increase the contact area, rubbing more evenly, and sharing the discomfort equally.
“You’re so childish!” Lu Ran said.
“Who’s being childish?” Ji Min retorted.
Lu Ran pulled his hand back with all his might.
He was afraid that if he moved too abruptly, Shen Cheng across from them would notice.
One was gripping tightly, the other was pulling back with force.
They nearly ended up wrestling under the table.
Shen Cheng was still in shock from Ji Min personally serving him the drink.
He was staring at the two glasses of clear alcohol in front of him.
If Ji Min personally brought them, they had to be good wine, right?
With that thought in mind, Shen Cheng immediately picked up one glass and took a sip.
The moment it touched his mouth, a strange but familiar taste rushed straight to his throat.
Shen Cheng nearly spat it out.
Meanwhile, Lu Ran and Ji Min were struggling under the table, trying to break free from each other’s grip.
Seeing Shen Cheng pick up the glass, they both paused. Lu Ran suddenly remembered something, quietly asking Ji Min, “Did you dilute it?”
Ji Min: “…?”
“Do you still need… to dilute it?” Ji Min asked softly.
Is it really that much of a big deal?
Lu Ran: “…”
Wasn’t this supposed to be the point!
He only wanted to disgust Shen Cheng a little and there were still things to ask him later.
If Ji Min hadn’t diluted it properly, he’d probably end up getting Shen Cheng drunk.
Lu Ran was seriously beating his chest and stamping his feet in frustration.
If he had known, he would have done it himself!
Shen Cheng took a sip of the wine and his expression immediately began to twist.
It looked like Ji Min was about to mess things up.
Just when Lu Ran thought Shen Cheng was going to spit it out, Shen Cheng closed his eyes for a moment.
He swallowed it.
Ji Min: “…”
Lu Ran: “…”
After swallowing, Shen Cheng even smacked his lips.
His face twisted as he exaggerated, “Good wine, strong kick!”
Ji Min: “…”
Lu Ran: “…”
Fearing that Ji Min might have seen his distorted face and be displeased, wanting to back up his words, Shen Cheng casually tilted his head back and finished the entire glass in one go.
After finishing the first glass, he quickly drank the second one.
His movements were smooth as if he were drinking something rare and fine, not like he was drinking toilet water at all.
This left Lu Ran completely stunned.
Lu Ran stared for a while, then looked at Ji Min.
With a hint of distrust, he asked, “Did you really do what I asked you to, or did you just pour two random glasses of wine?”
Ji Min was innocent.
“If you don’t believe me, go smell the glasses,” the man said through gritted teeth.
Lu Ran rubbed his chin, “That shouldn’t be right?”
He started doubting life, “It’s all toilet water, did you somehow make it taste better than mine?”
Ji Min: “…”
“Thanks, but there’s nothing to brag about,” he said, his face slack.
Lu Ran thought long and hard before figuring it out.
Ji Min’s house hardly had any visitors.
The bathroom downstairs was rarely used, so the smell probably wasn’t authentic enough.
Thinking of this, Lu Ran felt a bit regretful.
Shen Cheng, however, had no idea what the two of them were discussing while looking so affectionate.
He finished both glasses of wine, feeling dizzy and light-headed.
The taste was too overpowering.
After drinking, he couldn’t even figure out if it was white wine or liquor.
No wonder it was the wine Ji Min brought out.
As expected, it was rare!
After a brief pause, Shen Cheng finally revealed his true intentions.
He looked at Lu Ran and said, “You’ve been away from home for so long. Coming back to find that the only person who truly cared for you, your grandfather, has passed away, you must miss him a lot.”
“As for your uncle, I used to be by Grandpa’s side a lot. I took a lot of videos, even some of you when you were a kid.”
“Videos?” Lu Ran showed some interest.
Seeing that Lu Ran was biting, Shen Cheng began sighing dramatically again: “But I’ve run into some trouble recently. My phone and computer were stolen and I need to pay to get them back.”
At this point, Shen Cheng’s intentions were crystal clear.
Lu Ran, however, acted as if he didn’t understand, sighing sympathetically as he said, “That’s really a shame.”
Shen Cheng: “…”
He paused, unable to resist adding, “If I look carefully, I could still get them back, but it would be troublesome.”
“Ah, that’s so troublesome?” Lu Ran shook his head sadly. “I can’t even remember what Grandpa looked like anymore. Since it’s so troublesome, maybe it’s best to just forget about it.”
Shen Cheng: “…”
He looked over at Ji Min.
To his surprise, Ji Min said, “True. Since Grandpa is already gone, seeing the videos would just make you sad. It’s better not to watch them.”
Shen Cheng: “…”
He was starting to lose patience.
Lu Ran might be a fool, but Ji Min clearly wasn’t.
Given this attitude, it was clear that they wouldn’t do anything unless they were sure of what they could gain.
Shen Cheng started to have second thoughts.
The incident with Shen Hongyuan had shaken him a bit.
So when he came to find Lu Ran, he just wanted a quick deal, without getting too involved.
But then he remembered, Ji Min had poured him two glasses of wine earlier!
That was Ji Min, the chairman of the prestigious Ji Corporation!
Shen Cheng began to feel that Ji Min’s probing was understandable.
After all, Ji Min had already shown a lot of sincerity; he should reveal something in return.
Perhaps, with this little bit of information, this fool of Lu Ran might actually be hooked?
Thinking of this, Shen Cheng gritted his teeth and said, “No matter what, you must miss your grandfather. Uncle still has some photos of Grandpa from when he was alive. I’ll send them all to you later!”
Soon after, Shen Cheng left, pretending to be full of toilet water.
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, flipping through the photos that Shen Cheng had sent him.
“Do you suspect there’s something wrong with Old Master Shen’s death?” Ji Min asked.
“It’s not really suspicion, more like I just find Shen Hongyuan very strange,” Lu Ran replied after thinking for a moment.
“Then why not just buy the stuff Shen Cheng has?” Ji Min suggested.
“I won’t,” Lu Ran immediately refused. “No one’s going to take my money.”
He shot Ji Min a glance, adding, “And you’re not allowed to waste money either.”
Ji Min: “…”
He couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Lu Ran stayed at home for two days, studying the photos that Shen Cheng had sent.
The photos didn’t seem very clear; they were likely screenshots from a video.
There weren’t many screenshots either, less than ten.
Most of them were taken at Old Master Shen’s residence.
It wasn’t clear if Shen Cheng was deliberately trying to tempt Lu Ran into spending money or if it was due to the limitations of the video itself.
Most of the screenshots featured both Lu Ran and Old Master Shen in the frame.
The elderly man and the young boy weren’t seen together affectionately but were both busy in the yard, each doing their own thing.
Lu Ran flipped through them for a long time but didn’t find any useful information.
That night, seeing that Lu Ran was still flipping through the photos, Ji Min pulled him into his arms.
He rubbed his chin against the top of Lu Ran’s head and asked, “Are you really that concerned?”
“Stop distracting me,” Lu Ran pushed him away.
As his arm made contact, the tablet flipped to a new screenshot.
Lu Ran stared at the new screenshot, momentarily stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Min asked.
In the screenshot, the elderly man was walking ahead, supported by a cane, and surrounded by people.
The child was being led by a servant, trailing behind.
Lu Ran wasn’t paying attention to the people in the screenshot. Instead, he pointed to a flower bed in the corner.
He asked Ji Min, “Does this flower bed look familiar to you?”
“Hmm?”
Ji Min leaned in to study it for a while but couldn’t make out anything.
Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, “When I climbed the window at the hospital, I think I stepped on a flower bed that looked very similar to this one.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Min took the tablet and looked closely.
What caught his attention was the building opposite the flower bed.
Although the buildings were in different states of disrepair, Ji Min immediately recognized that this was the building behind Lu Ran’s hospital room when he was hospitalized.
After understanding Lu Ran’s intention, Ji Min quickly made a phone call, asking someone to look into the hospital where Old Master Shen was before his passing.
It turned out to be the same hospital where Ji Min had his surgery.
Both were located in the independent area of the New City Private Hospital.
Lu Ran also remembered seeing a photo of Old Master Shen in that area.
“Did you remember something?” Ji Min asked.
Lu Ran thought for a moment.
He took Ji Min’s hand and said, “Let’s investigate and see if any of Shen Cheng’s mistresses ever worked at New City Private Hospital.”
—
At the hospital.
Shen Xingyu was sitting outside Shen Hongyuan’s hospital room, talking on the phone with a lawyer.
He was trying to find a reliable lawyer for Shen Hongyuan.
Although Shen Hongyuan’s charge of embezzlement was already a done deal, it was still better to reduce the sentence by a few years if possible.
However, given the current situation of the Shen family, it wasn’t easy to find a suitable lawyer.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Xingyu suddenly felt tired. He leaned his head back against the wall.
Shen Xingran’s commercial crime trial was about to start.
After Shen Xingzhuo left the hospital room that day, he never came back.
Shen Xingyu checked the bank records and found that Shen Xingzhuo’s card hadn’t been used recently.
He also asked around with some of Shen Xingzhuo’s friends, trying to get any information about him.
But there was no news.
Shen Xingyu looked up at the ceiling of the hospital.
In the past, he had never hesitated about his actions.
Because his goals were always clear, he had always walked forward with confidence.
But now, seeing the family he had worked so hard to protect in such a state, Shen Xingyu felt a mixture of emotions.
However, after just a few minutes of despair, he straightened up again, ready to continue doing his best.
He couldn’t afford to rest.
Once he rested, even greater confusion would arise.
As he was about to continue contacting the lawyers he knew, the sound of footsteps approached.
A few criminal police officers came over, showing him their badges and confirming, “This is Mr. Shen Hongyuan’s hospital room, right?”
Shen Xingyu thought something had gone wrong with the case involving Shen Hongyuan’s embezzlement.
He nodded, about to speak.
But then, he heard one of the officers say: “We received a report that Mr. Shen Hanshan’s death fourteen years ago and a car accident in April of this year are both related to Shen Hongyuan.”
Yes, I want him to be tortured for his crimes