CFRFGC Chapter 135

Moonlit: There are still 12 more chapters after this one~

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⌈Ji Min: “Your mouth…”⌋

“Some people are all serious outside, but once the door’s closed, they’ll say anything.”

Lu Ran teased.

Ji Min continued to pinch his waist, admitting without hesitation, “Well, the only one hearing it is you. What’s the problem?”

The two of them were still lazily lingering on the bed.

Just as Ji Min was about to ask him to turn over again, Lu Ran’s phone, which was placed on the bedside table, suddenly rang.

Lu Ran quickly grabbed the phone and, in an instant, sat up with a jolt.

The movement was so fast, it seemed like his legs didn’t hurt anymore and his back wasn’t sore.

“Who is it?” Ji Min asked, somewhat dissatisfied.

“My advisor!” Lu Ran replied.

Ji Min immediately stopped fussing and sat quietly, waiting.

Lu Ran answered the call and listened attentively to what the other side was saying.

After a moment, he paused, glanced at Ji Min, and asked into the phone, “Is this recent?”

Ji Min immediately had a bad feeling.

When Lu Ran hung up the phone, Ji Min’s bad premonition came true.

Lu Ran’s advisor, because of a project, was heading to Africa.

As a research student with a guaranteed graduate position, Lu Ran obviously had to go with him.

This meant that Lu Ran’s summer vacation in his senior year would only last a few days before he disappeared.

Upon hearing the news, Ji Min immediately sulked.

“Are you angry?” Lu Ran leaned over to look at him.

Ji Min remained silent, his face cold.

After a while, unable to contain his frustration, he grumbled, “What kind of arrangements are these at your school?”

Lu Ran, also feeling a little reluctant, leaned in to kiss him.

“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Here’s a kiss for you.”

But clearly, a kiss wasn’t enough to calm him down.

Lu Ran kissed him a few more times, feeling reluctant himself.

He tried to comfort Ji Min, saying, “It won’t be long. I’ll be back after the summer break.”

Ji Min’s expression darkened even more.

“Yeah, by the time summer’s over,” he said.

Lu Ran continued to coax him for a while. But when he saw how truly downhearted Ji Min was, he thought for a moment and said, “I haven’t reported for graduate school yet. I could tell my advisor I won’t go. Or I could just refuse.”

He reached for his phone to call his advisor.

But Ji Min stopped his hand, pulling him into his embrace, and sighed, “Such a great opportunity, how can you not go?”

The proposal plan had to be postponed once again.

Although he was frustrated, Ji Min quickly accepted the reality.

Since Lu Ran’s advisor was pushing for an urgent departure, Ji Min immediately started helping him prepare for the trip.

There were a lot of things to consider for Africa.

Having been on a business trip there before, Ji Min immediately informed his assistant to gather the necessary items.

Once the items arrived, he checked everything thoroughly before packing.

Since the trip was through the school, Lu Ran had to gather at the school on departure day.

Ji Min could only send him to the school.

When they stopped outside the school, Ji Min continued to talk to him for a long time.

“Things aren’t the same as here. Don’t wander around alone and don’t eat anything suspicious. I’ve added a few contacts to your phone’s address book. I’ve made arrangements with them, so if you get into trouble or need anything, just contact them…”

Lu Ran listened for a while, then smiled at Ji Min.

“What’s so funny?” Ji Min tapped his forehead. “It’s your first time going so far away. You don’t want me to say a few more things?”

“I know, I know. You’re right, parent,” Lu Ran replied as he snuggled into Ji Min’s arms for a moment.

Hearing the term “parent”, Ji Min froze for a second.

He wanted to say, being a parent isn’t necessarily the same thing. Can I really become your family?

In a legal sense?

But there was no time for that.

After hesitating for a moment, Ji Min ultimately didn’t bring it up.

He just patted Lu Ran’s waist and urged, “Hurry up. Don’t make the team wait.”

After Lu Ran left, Ji Min had the driver follow the school’s designated car. He watched Lu Ran enter the airport and board the plane before heading back.

It wasn’t until several hours later, when he received news that Lu Ran’s plane had landed, that he truly felt relieved.

Then began the long wait once again.

The longing spread during the waiting.

Lu Ran was quite eager to share, often sending messages and lots of photos.

Besides the scenery of the grasslands, the most common photos were of animals.

When Ji Min opened the chat list, he was immediately flooded with pictures of various animals.

Giraffes, bison, lions, hyenas…

There were also colorful birds with vibrant feathers and massive pythons.

One photo stood out—a seemingly ordinary mound of earth at first glance.

Ji Min stared at it for a long time, not able to figure out what was special about it.

He asked Lu Ran.

To his surprise, Lu Ran had managed to pick out a single ant from the mound and pointed it out to him.

Ji Min: “…”

From these photos, Ji Min could oddly sense the curiosity and excitement in Lu Ran’s eyes.

Yet, amidst all these dazzling animal photos, there wasn’t a single selfie of Lu Ran.

Some people truly remained the same, year after year, always so oblivious.

In the end, Ji Min logged onto Lu Ran’s school website himself.

There, in the news section, he found photos and videos of the project.

In the video, the person was facing away from the camera.

But Ji Min still recognized him immediately.

A group of people were releasing an injured python after treatment.

A few people were carrying a cage and placed it on the open ground. Soon, a brightly colored snake slowly slithered out.

Ji Min carefully examined the snake for a moment and realized that Lu Ran had sent him that same photo earlier.

It was like a child eagerly sharing his experiences.

In his spare time, Ji Min often reopened that proposal plan and occasionally added a few more notes.

Little by little, he worked on perfecting the proposal for the most perfect moment.

But the more perfect it became, the less likely it seemed to find its time.

As time passed, it had already been a month since Lu Ran left.

Ji Min stared at the proposal for the marriage plan on his computer.

Suddenly, he closed the computer and, without warning, asked his assistant next to him, “Is there a project in Africa for the group recently?”

The assistant, who had been reporting on other work, responded, “…Ah? Yes, there is…”

But it seemed like it wasn’t a project where you, as the president, would be personally involved.

However, Ji Min probably didn’t care about that.

He resumed working overtime.

And gradually began to help Da Huang get used to the company of others.

A week later, Ji Min boarded a plane to Africa with only the simplest of luggage.

When the plane landed, many people were waiting to pick him up.

Ji Min briefly dealt with some company matters, then contacted Lu Ran’s project team to arrange a visit.

The person in charge personally escorted Ji Min there.

Along the way, Ji Min observed the living conditions of the team.

Lu Ran’s advisor was handling an important project, so the accommodation for the team was fairly good.

Ji Min had already gotten a rough idea of the situation during his video call with Lu Ran, but it was only after seeing it in person that he truly felt reassured.

This time, Ji Min was visiting in the name of the company.

Once he arrived, the project team warmly welcomed him.

There were always difficulties when working abroad. Ji Min’s company had provided significant help to them through their local branch.

However, after learning the purpose of Ji Min’s visit, an awkward situation arose.

The project leader said to Ji Min, “Mr. Ji, unfortunately, today Professor Hu and the team have gone to the grasslands. They plan to camp there for a few days, so they probably won’t be back for three to five days.”

Ji Min was taken aback, not expecting such poor timing.

The project leader hesitated for a moment and then suggested, “Tomorrow, someone will be delivering supplies. Perhaps you could meet your student then?”

Upon hearing this, Ji Min waved his hand and said, “No need.”

The project leader thought Ji Min was planning to wait for the team’s return.

However, to his surprise, Ji Min said, “I’ll go to them personally.”

Without further delay, Ji Min arranged for a guide and headed into the grasslands in the direction of Lu Ran’s team.

Lu Ran’s advisor’s team had collaborations with some local tribes in the grasslands. Their camp was set up near one of the tribes.

When Ji Min arrived at the camp, some of Lu Ran’s classmates were returning to the camp to fetch equipment.

The guide, who was a familiar face, immediately called out to the group of girls, “Xiao Zhu, Xiao Liu, this is Mr. Ji from China. He’s here to see your supervisor.”

The guide didn’t know the full reason for Ji Min’s visit.

The guide only knew that Ji Min was a big boss, so he assumed that Ji Min was there to see the team leader.

When Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu turned around and saw the man standing next to the guide, their eyes immediately lit up.

The two exchanged silent glances and mouthed to each other: “Wow, handsome guy!”

“The CEO just stepped out of reality!”

“Look at his height…”

As Xiao Zhu walked back, she muttered under her breath, “Oh my god, my eyes, which have been filled with giraffes, lions, and buffaloes, can finally get a wash!”

Xiao Liu whispered, “I don’t need a wash.”

Xiao Zhu gave her a look: “Of course, you don’t need a wash. You’re in the same team as our class heartthrob, but at least pity me. I’ve almost been driven crazy by that idiot Guo.”

When they reached the guide, the two girls quickly regained their composed and polite demeanor, greeting Ji Min with a smile: “Mr. Ji, hello.”

Ji Min nodded at them.

“They’re almost done. Our supervisor will be back soon,” Xiao Zhu said.

At this moment, the man in front of them explained, “No, I’m just here to see Lu Ran. Is Lu Ran here?”

Upon hearing Lu Ran’s name, Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu froze in unison.

Then, a shared expression of surprise flashed across their faces.

Xiao Zhu wildly winked at Xiao Liu: “He’s looking for the class heartthrob!”

“Could it be…”

“Yes, yes! Our class… Lu Ran is right ahead. The equipment over there is broken and he’s waiting for us to bring it over.”

Ji Min glanced at their car and said, “The road is rough. Your car’s undercarriage is too low. Let’s move the equipment to my car.”

He then instructed his assistant to help the two girls load the heavy equipment onto his vehicle.

As they hit the road together, Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu sat awkwardly in the car, unable to hide their burning curiosity.

After a while, Xiao Zhu couldn’t hold back and cautiously asked, “Mr. Ji, may I ask what your relationship with our class heartthrob is?”

After asking, she noticed the man in the passenger seat pause for a moment.

Then, he smiled and asked with a touch of amusement, “He’s your class heartthrob?”

Xiao Zhu awkwardly laughed and explained, “Well, Lu Ran is handsome, and a lot of people secretly like him, so we’ve all gotten used to calling him that.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu heard the man’s ambiguous laugh and responded, “A lot of people like him, huh?”

Before they could fully understand the meaning of Ji Min’s smile, they heard him calmly say, “I’m his boyfriend.”

“Ah?”

Even though they had suspected it, hearing the confirmation still surprised Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu. They let out sounds of both regret and excitement.

Lu Ran had mentioned long ago that he had a boyfriend. However, due to various speculations, many people in the class thought this was just an excuse to reject them.

This time, Guo Zhou had followed along.

For some reason, the guy who had persistently pursued Lu Ran had recently been spreading rumors about him behind his back. Although he didn’t directly say it, his words implied that Lu Ran had found an older man for money.

However, Guo Zhou had poor social skills and no one liked listening to him. Even if people heard it, they just thought he was slandering Lu Ran out of jealousy.

Now, seeing Ji Min in person, Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu realized just how badly he had been slandered!

This is called an “older man”?

Is there such a thing as an “older man” who stands at 1.9 meters tall, looks more handsome than a celebrity, and has a ridiculously superior body?

Moreover, Mr. Ji looked only about 27 or 28 years old, right?

He actually looked younger than Guo Zhou himself!

The only true thing Guo Zhou had probably said was that Ji Min had money.

Soon, they arrived at the place where Lu Ran and the others were conducting their activities.

It was a highland with great visibility, though the road was difficult to drive on.

Once the car stopped, Ji Min got out and looked up to see Lu Ran sitting by a cage, watching two injured baby cheetahs receiving IV drips.

The others were standing on the high ground, gazing into the distance.

As soon as Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu got out of the car, they waved and called out to Lu Ran.

Lu Ran looked up. When he saw the man standing by the off-road vehicle, his calm eyes immediately lit up.

He quickly stood up from beside the cage, ran over to Ji Min, and grabbed the man’s wrist.

“Hmm? You’re not even a little surprised to see me?” Ji Min raised an eyebrow and asked.

After a month in Africa, Lu Ran had gotten a little tan, exuding a wild, animalistic vitality.

He looked at Ji Min and smiled, “Because I called Uncle Chen and someone at the dorm also contacted the advisor.”

As he spoke, he pulled Ji Min toward the highest point, urging, “Come on, hurry up!”

He was running fast, breathing heavily as he explained, “I only knew you were coming today, but I didn’t know if you would make it in time.”

Ji Min felt a little confused.

He took two steps and followed Lu Ran up to the highland.

There, he saw the person beside him, still the same excited youth from three years ago, pointing into the distance and saying, “Look!”

Ji Min lifted his gaze and looked over.

It was the great animal migration.

Not far off, the sky was vast, and the grassland stretched endlessly, with only a few scattered shrubs decorating the landscape.

In the open vista, herds of wild buffalo and zebras ran across the grass, crossing over the shrubs and the river below.

A large cloud of dust and splashes of water rose into the air.

Accompanied by the sound of countless hooves, the scene was overwhelming, leaving a deep impression on anyone watching — the raw power of life itself.

Ji Min rarely stood still for so long, his eyes lingering on the scene.

He then turned back to look at the person beside him.

Lu Ran was smiling at him, saying, “When I first came here, I wanted to show you this.”

He then frowned with a look of mild frustration.

“But I’m not good at taking photos. I always feel like the pictures don’t capture the beauty of seeing it in person.”

“Now, it’s good that you’re here and that you came just in time. Otherwise, after this season, it would be hard to see this again!”

Ji Min looked at him, his eyes intense.

He remembered that when he had first arrived, others were already standing there, looking at the view. Only Lu Ran was by the cage, watching the two baby cheetahs.

The man asked in a low voice, “If I hadn’t made it today, would you have just kept watching those two little things get their IV drips?”

Lu Ran tightened his grip on his wrist, not answering. Instead, he said, “Anyway, I got the best spot first and they didn’t dare compete with me!”

Ji Min chuckled softly and squeezed his hand in return.

Lu Ran tugged at his arm, urging him, “Come on, look! Look!”

Ji Min lifted his gaze again, but the running buffalo and zebras were already gone.

To the west, the sky held a red sun.

The sun was so red it seemed like it might melt. The crimson light spread across the horizon, dyeing the scattered tree shadows a brilliant red.

It also tinted the hair at the temple of the person beside him.

Lu Ran stared at the sunset over the grassland for a long time.

When he turned his head, he found that the man beside him was not admiring the stunning sunset over the grassland.

Instead, he was staring at him.

“What are you looking at me for? The sun’s almost gone,” Lu Ran said, exasperated.

Ji Min chuckled softly, “Nothing.”

He just tightened his grip on Lu Ran’s hand.

He suddenly felt that the young man who had once been confined to a hospital bed was now standing on the vibrant African savanna, admiring his favorite animals, watching the breathtaking sunset, and working in the field he loved.

That, in itself, was a scene more beautiful than the sunset.

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Before it got dark, everyone returned to the camp.

Ji Min unloaded the supplies he had brought and handed them to Lu Ran’s advisor.

He also ate with everyone, gathering around the campfire.

This was Ji Min’s first time, as Lu Ran’s boyfriend, genuinely interacting with Lu Ran’s classmates and friends.

He toned down his usual aura and casually sat by the fire.

When Lu Ran wasn’t around, everyone’s curiosity exploded, and they gathered around Ji Min, asking him all sorts of questions.

But as soon as they saw Lu Ran’s figure approaching, they quickly straightened up and shrank back.

Ji Min couldn’t help but laugh when he saw this.

He teased, “Why are you still scared of him?”

When they saw that Lu Ran was busy again, they all relaxed and said: “Class heartthrob is really scary when he gets angry.”

“We just saw Class heartthrob really get mad the other day. Oh my god, that was… so satisfying!”

It turned out that it was still related to Guo Zhou.

Earlier, when Ji Min went to pick up Lu Ran, he had “politely” greeted Guo Zhou.

Guo Zhou had been scolded by his family and had finally quieted down a bit.

But once they went abroad, the guy probably thought Ji Min was out of reach and started gossiping about Lu Ran again.

One time, Lu Ran just happened to overhear it.

He directly kicked the person into a pile of cow dung.

In that instant, everyone was stunned.

Someone vividly described the scene to Ji Min: “You don’t know how crisp and clean that kick from Class heartthrob was!”

“After the kick, Class heartthrob even chuckled and said, ‘My temper has really improved. I can’t believe I waited this long to kick you’.”

“Class heartthrob really did what I’ve always wanted to do! Ahhh!”

It was Xiao Zhu who was speaking.

“That guy, Guo Zhou, always slacks off, complains about being tired or dirty, and pushes everything onto me. I’ve been wanting to kick him in there for a while!”

Ji Min imagined the scene and unexpectedly felt a bit nostalgic.

He listened to more funny stories about Lu Ran.

By the time it was rest time, he returned to Lu Ran’s tent.

He lifted the tent flap and went inside.

Lu Ran had already finished washing up. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, lying on the blanket, looking at the data recorded during the day.

Hearing the sound, Lu Ran turned to look at Ji Min.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “What are you doing back here? Didn’t they set up a tent for you?”

“I let the assistant stay in it.” Ji Min swaggered in.

He lay down beside Lu Ran.

The tent was dim and a little stuffy.

It wasn’t very tall, creating a feeling of intimacy, like burrowing into a blanket.

There was only a small lamp, casting warm yellow light on Lu Ran.

After looking over the data, Lu Ran started tidying up while chatting casually with Ji Min.

The man made small talk, but his ears were still tuned to the sounds outside the tent.

It wasn’t until the voices outside slowly faded away that Ji Min’s gaze settled on Lu Ran’s legs, which were gently swinging.

It was hot. Under the glow of the lamp, his exposed legs and ankles seemed to glisten with a layer of honeyed light.

Somehow, it was enticing.

Ji Min continued to answer, “Da Huang’s check-up results were good last week. The doctor said he’s very healthy.”

But his finger had already brushed against Lu Ran’s leg.

In the quiet darkness, the slightest touch felt incredibly pronounced.

Lu Ran hissed, pulling his leg away.

He tilted his head, smiling as he looked at the man and asked, “You’re still in the camp. What are you doing in such a dangerous place?”

He leaned closer and said, “Aren’t you afraid that a lion might come running in while you’re in the middle of it?”

As he spoke, he even flashed his sharp canines in a teasing manner.

“Who’s trying to scare who?” Ji Min patted him, “Do you think I’ve never been here before?”

Seeing that he hadn’t frightened him, Lu Ran straightened up and said seriously, “It’s really dangerous.”

“Hmm?” Ji Min raised an eyebrow, wondering what nonsense Lu Ran would say next.

Lu Ran grinned and leaned toward his ear, eager to share: “Did you know, there’s an insect here called a horsefly? Its larvae can use mosquitoes to get into mammals’ bodies and parasitize them.”

Ji Min: “…”

He regretted it. He shouldn’t have let Lu Ran speak.

Ji Min reached out to cover Lu Ran’s mouth.

Lu Ran laughed, dodged his hand, and continued with his scare tactics: “I once saw a case online where a man got bitten on his… you know. At first, he didn’t pay much attention. But later, he felt unbearable pain.”

Ji Min: “…Enough.”

Lu Ran kept going: “He went to the hospital. When the doctor operated, they cut open his… and found a larva the size of…”

He even gestured: “It was about the size of a knuckle, squirming inside. Hmm… looked a lot like a big maggot.”

Ji Min: “…”

Why did he have to hear this kind of thing now?

Seeing the stiff look on Ji Min’s face, Lu Ran burst out laughing, slapping the ground.

He didn’t forget to “advise” him, “So don’t do anything bad at a time like this.”

Ji Min: “That mouth of yours…”

He couldn’t take it anymore and pressed his lips to Lu Ran’s, kissing him thoroughly.

Lu Ran laughed while squirming, but this time Ji Min really didn’t do anything else.

After the kiss, Ji Min propped himself up slightly and, with a smile in his dark eyes, looked at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran froze for a moment, lifting his left hand, and feeling the cool sensation on his fingers.

Under the warm light, on his ring finger, a subtle ring reflected the light.

He pressed the ring, feeling two letters and a small dog design on the inner band.

Lu Ran looked up.

The man was still watching him, the smile in his eyes making this usually aloof person seem incredibly gentle in that moment.

“You’ve done well, Ji Min,” Lu Ran said.

“Hmm?” Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

Lu Ran caressed the ring on his finger and sighed, “I told you such a scary story, and yet you still managed to propose.”

Ji Min couldn’t help but laugh.

He had prepared for a long time, but no matter how much he prepared, it never seemed perfect enough.

Yet, in the end, he gave this ring in this small tent, in a remote wilderness camp.

Lu Ran fiddled with the ring for a moment, then looked at Ji Min with regret, saying, “You beat me to it. I thought I’d be the one to go first.”

Ji Min was a little surprised.

Lu Ran turned around again, continuing to rummage through his bag that he had been searching through for a while.

Finally, he pulled out a small black velvet box from between the zipper folds.

The young man held the box, moving his hand to the light.

Then he opened the box.

Inside the box was a pair of wedding rings.

Unlike the highly designed pair Ji Min had commissioned from the designer, this pair in Lu Ran’s hand had a more antique style.

Both rings had deep blue sapphires embedded in them.

In the soft light, Lu Ran looked up at Ji Min.

He gently caressed the sapphire on the ring and said, “There’s a legend here that says these stones allow lovers to meet in every lifetime.”

Lu Ran smiled beautifully under the light.

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed a little embarrassed, furrowing his brow and saying, “Seems a bit like nonsense.”

But quickly, he laughed again, tilting his face up to look at Ji Min and saying, “But it’s still a good omen.”

For a moment, Ji Min was at a loss for words.

Gems of such quality are hard to find and custom-made rings require time, not to mention knowing the size of his finger in advance.

Ji Min hadn’t expected Lu Ran to prepare all of this.

In his plans, Lu Ran didn’t need to do anything; he just needed to continue focusing on his studies and digging deeper into the field he loved.

Now, Ji Min realized that, in places he hadn’t noticed, Lu Ran had been quietly striving to get closer to him.

And… like a child, he was intensely greedy.

Once he spoke, he was ready for a lifetime, for all the lifetimes.

In the dimly lit tent, Lu Ran took Ji Min’s hand and slid the sapphire-studded ring onto his finger.

Their fingers intertwined.

Although the rings were different in design, they held the same sentiment.

They waited for a moment more.

Finally, the light in the tent went out.

Only the two rings, pressed closely together, still glimmered with faint light.

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