CFRFGC Chapter 131

⌈”Anyone listed in the household registration book can be considered a parent.”⌋

Shen Hongyuan always thought he had done everything perfectly.

But in the end, his “trump card” was completely exposed.

And then there was Shen Cheng and that female nurse.

To this day, Shen Hongyuan still feels furious.

How had he not noticed the presence of that female nurse back then?

But the law didn’t give him the chance to vent his anger.

Soon, with multiple charges stacked against him, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Due to his physical condition, he was sent to a special nursing home.

Now, Shen Hongyuan was a middle-aged man whose confidence and pride had become excessively inflated.

Lying in bed and living without dignity was worse than death for him.

Not long after, the nursing staff noticed that he frequently waved the arm that still had some mobility.

Sometimes it seemed like he was seeing something invisible to others, and he would mutter angrily: “Don’t come closer, don’t come closer!”

Then, moments later, he would cry out in desperation: “Father, I was wrong. Father, I’m your biological son…”

But in the blink of an eye, he would glare with wide eyes and shout angrily: “Old man! You should’ve died long ago!”

On the rare occasions when he was quiet, the caretakers noticed that he was trying to free himself from the restraints as if attempting to fall off the bed and die.

The most absurd incident was when the caretaker discovered that he had bitten down hard on the oxygen tube’s outlet with his teeth.

By the time they found him, he was already turning blue from oxygen deprivation.

However, the caretaker contacted the nursing home and diligently saved him.

Shen Hongyuan was doomed to live for a long time in his bed, trapped in his fear.

Madam Shen did not participate in Shen Hongyuan’s crimes.

But she had helped him transfer large sums of money using her own accounts, so she was also sentenced to several years.

When the police took her away, she bewilderedly tried to deny everything: “I didn’t know. I really didn’t know. I never thought about these things. He gave me the money and I took it; who can turn down money…”

But the judge ruled that, as an adult, she should have had the basic ability to discern right from wrong.

Shen Xingzhuo was still missing.

Shen Xingyu reported the case, but there was no progress.

The money in his account had never been touched and it was unknown whether the child was dead or wandering somewhere like an orphan.

After an investigation, Shen Xingyu was released.

But he was leaving Shen Corporation.

Before resigning, Shen Xingyu tried his best to clean up the mess left behind by Shen Hongyuan in the company.

He knew that this company would belong to Lu Ran from now on.

It would belong to the only child in the world who remembered that he liked rabbits and enjoyed lemon-flavored ice cream.

Shen Xingyu took on the debt left by Shen Hongyuan.

He sold all his personal assets and paid off the debts.

After completing all the handover preparations, Shen Xingyu sat in the CEO’s office of Shen Corporation for a long time.

He looked out at the bright windows of the office, lost in thought.

He wondered if that child would ever sit in this office.

He had heard that the child would come by the company in the afternoon.

But Shen Xingyu knew very well that Lu Ran probably wouldn’t want to see him.

There was a knock on the office door.

“Come in.” Shen Xingyu said, as usual.

The door opened and his assistant entered.

The assistant stood in the doorway, his expression filled with an indescribable sigh.

“President Shen…” he said instinctively.

Shen Xingyu smiled and said, “I’m not President Shen anymore.”

He pulled out a document and handed it to the assistant. “One last favor, could you help me with this?”

The assistant took the document and saw that it was a stock transfer agreement.

Shen Xingyu was transferring the 5% of shares he had inherited from the old man to Lu Ran.

Shen Xingyu glanced at the time.

It was almost afternoon. He packed up his personal items and walked out of the office holding the box.

As the office door closed behind him, Shen Xingyu felt a complicated mix of emotions.

It was as if the goals he had carried since childhood had suddenly shattered.

Holding the box, he walked out under the gaze of various onlookers.

For a moment, Shen Xingyu vaguely felt a sense of relief.

It was as if, with the shattering of his goals, the chains that had bound him were also broken.

He had never felt so free in his life.

At that moment, a sudden exclamation and commotion came from the staircase.

Shen Xingyu instinctively stopped and frowned, looking toward the source of the noise.

A man, with a scruffy beard and disheveled hair, barged in.

He was the company’s financial director.

It was his stamp on the public funds that Shen Hongyuan had withdrawn.

“Where is Shen Hongyuan? Where is he?”

He frantically searched the area, screaming in desperation, “Why?! He forced me to do it, why should I be the one to take the blame?! Why am I guilty too?!”

He ran wildly through the floor, like a madman.

Other employees saw him and immediately screamed and moved away.

Suddenly, he spotted Shen Xingyu.

“Everyone from the Shen family must die!”

Bang!

The box in Shen Xingyu’s hands fell to the ground.

He doubled over, clutching his abdomen, with bright red blood gushing from between his fingers.

Screams filled the air.

Shen Xingyu held onto the financial director’s wrist with all his might, not letting go.

That brief moment of freedom vanished like a dream.

Sometimes, once a person makes a choice, there is no turning back.

The dramatic scandal of Shen Corporation ultimately ended in a bloody incident.

And then, everything settled.

The summer vacation ended and Lu Ran started school.

The first day was free of classes and the school was in chaos.

When Ji Min went to pick up Lu Ran, he saw the boy sitting on a high platform.

It was just like the night Lu Ran officially returned to the Shen family, when he sat on a trash can, quietly looking out.

Now, Lu Ran had the same expression.

Only this time, he sat higher and the view before him was much better.

In his hands, he held four ice cream cones: two vanilla, one lemon, and one strawberry.

It was still a bit warm. The ice cream slowly melted.

The boy ate with equal attention to each, taking a bite from each one, and silently finishing all four cones.

Ji Min didn’t hurry him. He just stood on the steps, looking up.

Shen Corporation hadn’t fallen that quickly and he had his influence behind it.

Occasionally, Ji Min could see traces of Lu Ran’s involvement.

For a boy with no support, Shen Corporation seemed like an unshakable behemoth.

But the Shen family was not.

Ji Min still remembered that initially, there were rumors outside that Lu Ran was Madam Shen’s illegitimate son.

At that time, even he had misunderstood Lu Ran’s identity.

Lu Ran heard even more of the gossip.

But he didn’t explain a single word. He didn’t clarify his identity, nor did he speak of his misfortune.

He simply used methods that others could hardly imagine to fight back at the right moments.

As a result, this “illegitimate son” started to attract more attention and the rumors grew more intense.

Until the rumor of the “illegitimate son” reached Madam Shen’s ears.

Click.

The first crack in this family appeared.

Once the crack appeared, it couldn’t be repaired and kept expanding.

When Lu Ran was at the Gu family, he had already known about Shen Corporation’s internal financial deficit.

At the time, the Shen family and the Lino family were still in competition.

But Lu Ran didn’t reveal the information to the media.

At that time, Ji Min knew he was waiting.

Waiting for Shen Xingran to make his move.

This blow had to be dealt by Shen Xingran himself to be truly satisfying.

Sometimes, Ji Min thought Lu Ran was foolish.

But there was no denying that the boy was also very smart.

He knew the likes and dislikes of every member of this family and he understood their weaknesses.

He knew that Shen Hongyuan was arrogant and overbearing, but at his core, he was extremely insecure.

He knew that Madam Shen appeared to love Shen Xingran, but in reality, she was selfish, self-centered, and extremely vain.

Shen Xingzhuo was utterly irresponsible, and Shen Xingyu seemed strong but was actually weak.

Then there was Shen Xingran, the one who appeared the brightest and most favored.

But he was the one who had the least sense of security in the entire family.

Ji Min had once thought that Lu Ran must have truly cared about every family member.

Only then could he have observed and remembered all of this.

But these things, remembered out of love, ultimately became the sharpest sword.

The boy sitting on the high platform suddenly shuddered.

Ji Min was stunned for a moment, then hurried over and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Ran hugged his stomach, shivering.

“I ate four ice creams in one go. It’s too cold, it’s freezing.”

Ji Min: “…”

“I told you to be more careful.” He reached out and tapped the boy’s forehead.

Lu Ran held his hand and jumped down from the high platform.

He said, “Shall we go pay respects at the old man’s grave?”

Ji Min drove to the cemetery where Old Master Shen was buried.

The grave was fairly clean.

Lu Ran wandered around the shop next to the cemetery, not buying flowers, but instead, a large amount of paper money.

He was very earnest, not buying those flashy gold ingot-shaped ones, but only stacks of yellow paper.

He brought it to Old Master Shen’s grave and immediately began lighting it with a lighter.

But the stack was too thick and it wouldn’t catch fire.

Ji Min was silent for a moment, then reminded him, “You have to light a few sheets first, then keep adding more.”

“Eh, you go away, don’t interrupt,” Lu Ran pushed him aside.

Ji Min stepped back to the car, lit a cigarette, and watched the boy squat by the grave, burning the paper money.

It wasn’t the Qingming Festival, so there weren’t many people in the cemetery. It was very quiet.

The Shen family had fallen, but the Shen Corporation had struggled to survive.

The company had, however, undergone significant structural downsizing.

Lu Ran looked at the tombstone and said: “I’ve donated the shares and company profits. You might think I’ve ruined the family, but I think, with the will written like that, you must have been mentally prepared…”

Ji Min watched as the boy burned paper money and chattered at the tombstone.

He thought for a moment, then couldn’t help but look toward the side at Butler Chen, asking, “Do you think… Old Master Shen…”

Ji Min didn’t finish his sentence.

He had a vague impression of Old Master Shen and had heard Old Master Gu’s recollections.

If one considers it from the perspective of an elderly tyrant or a profit-driven businessman, Old Master Shen leaving his inheritance to Lu Ran might have simply been because he had noticed Lu Ran witnessing Shen Hongyuan’s shady dealings.

Thus, the so-called inheritance might have just been part of the power struggle between Shen Hanshan and Shen Hongyuan, rather than out of love for his little grandson.

Ji Min paused for a moment but ultimately didn’t voice these suspicions.

He believed Lu Ran was smart enough not to overlook this layer of reasoning.

But at that moment, the wind carried the boy’s voice again.

The boy, squatting before the towering tombstone, tilted his head up and said, “Old man, don’t worry. Even though the company is donated, I’ll come every year to burn paper for you.”

“You can rest assured, there will be plenty of paper money. I won’t let you run out of money down there…”

Ji Min suddenly curled the corner of his lips.

He suddenly felt uncertain about his previous speculation.

Perhaps, when Old Master Shen first took his little grandson in, he simply wanted to mold an heir who matched his desires from the very beginning.

But gradually, this profit-driven, highly controlling old man began to find something more precious in the child’s repeated calls of “Grandpa”.

After returning from the cemetery, Lu Ran visited the prison on the weekend.

Since Shen Hongyuan fell ill, he hadn’t visited him once.

When Shen Xingyu was stabbed, he hadn’t gone to see him either.

This time, Lu Ran wasn’t there to visit Madam Shen.

He was there to see Shen Xingran.

After waiting for a while in the visiting room, behind the glass wall, Shen Xingran, dressed in prison clothes, was brought over by a guard.

Shen Xingran had shaved his head and looked a lot darker.

He sat down across from Lu Ran.

The two of them sat facing each other across the glass. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

After a while, Shen Xingran finally said, “I didn’t expect you to come.”

Lu Ran smiled faintly but didn’t reply.

It seemed Shen Xingran had been holding something in for a long time. He then said, “I saw the news. You donated Shen Corporation.”

Even now, when he said these words, Shen Xingran still appeared bewildered and shocked.

“How could you donate it? That’s Shen Corporation! How could you willingly give it away?”

He mumbled for a long time.

The prison guard noticed something was wrong with his state and looked at him for a moment longer.

After mumbling for a while, Shen Xingran seemed to realize something and suddenly stopped.

Then, he smiled bitterly to himself: “I thought you were the one who would always be tangled up with the Shen family, unable to let go. Who would have thought you were far clearer than me, able to sever ties so thoroughly…”

“Otherwise, what’s the point of holding onto it?” Lu Ran said.

Shen Xingran looked up at Lu Ran.

He said, “It wasn’t until I came in here that I suddenly figured it out.”

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

Shen Xingran asked him, “At Shen Xingyu’s birthday banquet, you intentionally told him you were going to join Shen Corporation, right? You knew I was eavesdropping on your conversation.”

Lu Ran just smiled and didn’t answer.

Shen Xingran had always viewed Lu Ran as a competitor.

Now, with nothing left to contest, he started to feel something else.

Shen Xingran lowered his head and softly said, “Sometimes I wonder… if… is it possible… that you and I are the ones who are most like family?”

Lu Ran looked up at Shen Xingran.

Shen Xingran’s words sounded repulsive, but unexpectedly, Lu Ran understood what he meant.

If “Shen Xingran” was a title, then Lu Ran was the first and Shen Xingran was the second.

They were both orphans.

Shen Xingran was the one who had taken his name.

At the same time, he was someone who never truly had his own name from the start.

But Lu Ran still thought it was strange that Shen Xingran could say something like that to him.

With a tone of bitter curiosity, Lu Ran sarcastically said, “Do you know how cold the pool water is in Beijing during the winter?”

When he said this, Shen Xingran looked up, confused, and asked, “…What?”

There was no pretense on Shen Xingran’s face, just pure ignorance.

Lu Ran froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed loudly, his body shaking with it.

Shen Xingran on the opposite side didn’t understand what he was laughing about and was startled.

Lu Ran didn’t explain.

He simply wiped away the tears from his eyes, laughing, and suddenly realized that the lingering pain in his memories had long since become something from a past life.

Lu Ran walked out of the visiting room.

The early autumn air was exceptionally refreshing.

The clear blue sky appeared vast and empty, stretching high above, with only a few scattered white clouds floating by.

Lu Ran walked forward with large steps, feeling lighter than ever before.

A light breeze blew through the still-dense street trees, shaking their branches and making a rustling sound.

Ahead was a wide road and all he could see was a lush green landscape.

Lu Ran hummed a song as he walked toward the prison gate.

The large gate was half open. Ji Min stood with his back to it, chatting with a guard at the front.

The guard, with a thick northeastern accent, asked him, “What are you doing here?”

Ji Min replied, “Waiting for my partner.”

The guard’s face instantly showed a trace of sympathy and understanding.

“Waiting for your partner, huh…” he asked, “Is your partner getting out of prison, or…?”

He made a “going in” gesture.

Ji Min, caught off guard by his blunt choice of words, didn’t answer right away.

Lu Ran quickly took a few running steps.

He pounced onto the man’s back from behind and cheerfully answered for him, “His partner? Escaped from prison!”

The guard was startled.

Seeing that it was Lu Ran, who had just entered, he let out a relieved sigh. “You scared me! I really thought someone was trying to escape!”

They all laughed.

Ji Min, with Lu Ran on his back, staggered forward.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” he asked.

“Because I’m happy!” Lu Ran said, rubbing his neck against Ji Min’s back.

The parking lot was still a bit far away.

Lu Ran stayed on Ji Min’s back for a while but eventually felt embarrassed and jumped down.

“Where do you want to go next?” Ji Min asked.

“I want ice cream,” Lu Ran said.

Ji Min didn’t ask further, simply taking his hand and leading him to an ice cream shop.

There weren’t many shops near the prison, so they walked quite a distance before finding one.

Lu Ran walked in, frowning at the available flavors.

“Umm…” He pondered deeply.

“What would you like?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Wait a second, I’ll figure it out soon,” Lu Ran said.

Ji Min: “…”

Seeing how hard Lu Ran was concentrating, Ji Min sighed.

“Stop thinking,” he said, placing his hand on the boy’s head and decisively ordering for him, “Chocolate.”

Lu Ran looked up at him.

Not bothering to argue, he said, “Then I’ll have the sea salt.”

They each held a cone as they walked out of the shop.

Then they each took a bite of the other’s ice cream, switching cones.

Lu Ran ate most of his chocolate cone in two bites.

Ji Min slowly ate his sea salt flavor.

They passed by a university.

Suddenly, Lu Ran remembered something and said, “In a couple of days, our school is open for visitation. They said parents can come and see.”

Ji Min asked, “What day? I’ll go with you.”

Lu Ran leaned over, narrowing his eyes as he looked at him.

“Hmm? I said only parents can go. What kind of parent are you?”

Ji Min took his hand and, playfully, said, “Anyone on the household register counts as a parent.”

Lu Ran couldn’t hold back and laughed, resting his arm on Ji Min’s shoulder.

—–End of main text—–

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Moonlit: The extras will be uploaded tomorrow~