CFRFGC Chapter 138

⌈Why does such a young child need to be so independent?⌋

Ji Min’s request was not impossible.

However, it required reporting to the relevant authorities.

That day, Ji Min made a call to the Ji family’s nursing home.

Since he was twelve, Ji Min had rarely made requests to his grandfather.

Most things were handled by him alone.

This time was an exception.

On the surface, Old Master Ji no longer took much care of matters.

He was generally very lenient with Ji Min, the heir, but only under the condition that Ji Min could handle the responsibilities of the heir.

Ji Min wanted to bring a lost child back home.

Old Master Ji simply asked about the child’s age. After learning about the process, he agreed to Ji Min’s request to temporarily take the child back.

The next day, Butler Chen went with all the necessary documents to complete the formalities.

In the afternoon, the doctor confirmed that the child’s condition was stable enough for discharge.

Ji Min then took the child home.

The car slowly drove away from the hospital.

The child sat in the car seat, very quiet, neither crying nor asking where they were going.

He seemed to have figured out his situation from the few words exchanged by the surrounding adults.

He knew he was a child without a home.

So, he clung a little more to Ji Min, the only person he recognized.

Wherever Ji Min went, he followed closely.

On the other hand, Ji Min felt a strange excitement, as if he had found a small life that belonged to him.

The car entered the Ji residence.

The Ji family’s estate was a large, multi-level courtyard house.

There were several courtyards, front and back, with many rooms.

The moment the child got out of the car, seeing the large and complex estate, he immediately became a little dazed.

The surroundings were completely unfamiliar to him.

This made him instinctively take a small step back, reaching out to tightly grip Ji Min’s sleeve.

Noticing the child’s fear, Ji Min looked down and gently called, “Ranran.”

“Hmm?” The child instantly perked up, looking up at him and asking, “Were you calling me?”

“Who else could it be?”

Ji Min bent down and simply picked the child up.

When the child heard that he now had a name, his eyes lit up.

He repeated softly, “I’m called Ranran?”

He became a bit happy and said to Ji Min, “Then next time when the police sister comes to ask me, I can tell them.”

Ji Min chuckled.

He had just entered the door when a servant approached, respectfully bowing, “Young master, you’ve returned.”

Ji Min’s smile faded slightly. He responded with a cold “Hmm.”

The child, who was being carried, wiggled his little feet, wanting to get down.

A bit embarrassed, he said, “Ranran is all grown up now. I shouldn’t be carried anymore.”

The servant stepped forward, reaching out to take the child.

Ji Min waved his hand, not letting go.

He pinched the child’s cheek and pointed toward the long, winding path in the yard, asking, “Are you sure you want to walk by yourself?”

The child turned to take a look.

The environment in front of him was vast and unfamiliar. It seemed like he might get lost if he wasn’t careful.

He struggled for a moment, wanting to nod. But his small hands still instinctively clung to Ji Min’s neck.

Ji Min couldn’t help but laugh but was worried about scaring the child.

So, he leaned in closer to the child’s ear and whispered, “The path ahead is too difficult and I’m scared. Can Ranran let Big Brother carry you?”

Upon hearing this, the child immediately straightened up.

He patted Ji Min’s shoulder sympathetically and said, “Big brother, don’t be scared. Ranran will stay with you.”

Ji Min then continued to carry the child forward.

Along the way, several servants greeted him.

The child had been resting on his shoulder for a while and his ears started to turn red.

After a while, the child whispered, “Big brother, are you lying to me? Are you really scared?”

Ji Min didn’t expect the child to be so clever.

He paused for a moment, then leaned down to the child’s ear and whispered, “Really, I’m scared every time I come back. I just pretend I’m not.”

This made the child laugh.

The child then spoke in a whispering voice, “Ranran is also scared. But I pretend that I’m not scared at all.”

Ji Min, still carrying him, smiled, thinking to himself, You’re pretending, but not very well at all.

To get to Ji Min’s residence from the main gate, they had to pass through two courtyards.

The child wasn’t heavy. Ji Min didn’t feel tired carrying him.

However, after holding him for a while, Ji Min noticed that the child’s body seemed a bit stiff in his arms.

Lacking experience in taking care of others, Ji Min thought he might be holding him in an awkward position, so he quickly lowered his head and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

To Ji Min’s surprise, the child blushed and said, “My shoes… my shoes are about to fall off.”

After saying this, the child, who had been desperately trying to keep his shoes on, finally used the last bit of his strength. With a “pop”, the little shoe fell off onto the ground.

Ji Min stared at the shoe on the ground, feeling both amused and helpless.

He placed the child by the flowerbed and bent down to pick up the shoe. Then, he squatted down to put the shoe back on the child’s foot.

Only then did he realize that the shoes had been prepared temporarily. They were slightly too big, making them a poor fit.

After putting the shoes on, Ji Min looked up and stared at the child for a moment.

The child, still embarrassed about his shoes falling off, had red ears.

Ji Min reached out and tapped the child’s forehead, asking, “If your shoes were about to fall off, why didn’t you say anything? It’s not a big deal.”

“But… but I thought you must be tired from carrying me,” the child replied.

Ji Min was momentarily at a loss for words.

He gently squeezed the child’s face and rubbed it for a while before standing up and saying, “Don’t worry about these little things in the future.”

Once inside the living room, Butler Chen had already arranged for someone to tidy up the room.

Ji Min didn’t like having outsiders in his courtyard.

Once the servants finished their tasks, he closed the courtyard door and played with the child in the yard for a while.

At first, the child was still a little reserved.

But being so young and curious, he quickly couldn’t resist running around the yard.

When it was time for dinner, the child was still incredibly careful.

He obediently sat in the chair, eating whatever the adults gave him.

But Ji Min couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

After watching the child for a while, Ji Min finally understood.

Every time Butler Chen served him food, the child would eat it.

If the food wasn’t served to him, the child wouldn’t ask for it either.

At this age, children are usually the loudest when eating, often shouting and demanding specific dishes.

But this child remained quiet, never saying what he wanted.

Wasn’t this just like when he was a kid visiting others’ homes?

So polite to the point of being overly cautious.

Ji Min raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.

But after all, he was still a child. No matter how well he tried to act, his eyes would still betray him.

As soon as Butler Chen picked up the serving chopsticks to grab the sweet pineapple in the center of the table, the child’s eyes immediately lit up.

A playful impulse surged in Ji Min.

He took the serving chopsticks from Butler Chen’s hand and the child’s gaze immediately shifted to him.

Ji Min secretly curled his lips.

He paused for a moment with the chopsticks above the pineapple, then made a sharp turn and picked up the spinach tofu instead.

The child was momentarily confused.

His face still showed the surprise of seeing the sweet pineapple, but his eyes could only sadly watch as the spinach tofu was placed into his bowl.

But the disappointment was small.

He obediently picked up his chopsticks and ate all the spinach in his bowl.

However, it was obvious he didn’t like vegetables much, eating them very slowly.

Ji Min found this amusing.

He took a couple of bites of his own rice, then picked up the serving chopsticks again.

The child immediately raised his head from the bowl and continued to eye the sweet pineapple.

But Ji Min’s chopsticks once again made a sharp turn and picked up the celery with shredded meat next to it.

And it was all celery.

The child stared at the green celery in his bowl and had to slowly start eating it again.

He must really hate celery.

By the end of the meal, his little face was unconsciously scrunching up, even pouting as if he was about to spit it out.

But he must have been taught well to never be picky with food.

In the end, he ate everything, showing a relieved expression once he was done.

Ji Min couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

He had almost forgotten to eat himself. He was still serving the child more food.

Standing to the side, Butler Chen couldn’t take it anymore.

Butler Chen cleared his throat softly and reminded, “Young Master, you still have lessons tonight.”

“Alright, I know,” Ji Min rolled his eyes.

This time, he didn’t tease the child. He reached out to grab a piece of pineapple.

But just as he was about to put it into the child’s bowl, he paused and raised his chopsticks again.

The pineapple, which was about to land in the bowl, was about to fly off. The child grew a bit anxious.

Ji Min smiled and said, “Oh? Does Ran Ran prefer celery? Maybe I should give you more celery instead.”

The child immediately stood up in a hurry.

After holding it in for a while, he managed to say, “Ran Ran wants to eat pineapple, Ran Ran likes pineapple.”

Upon hearing this, Butler Chen standing nearby also laughed.

Ji Min quickly placed the pineapple into the child’s bowl, saying, “So Ran Ran likes pineapple. But if you don’t say so, how would I know?”

Watching the child eat the pineapple, Ji Min asked again, “What else would you like to eat, Ran Ran?”

The child hesitated for a moment.

The encouraging expression on the young man’s face gave him a bit of courage.

A little embarrassed, but gathering his courage, he pointed to the dish with the pineapple and said, “I want to drink the syrup in it.”

At this, Ji Min directly brought the entire plate of pineapple to him.

In that instant, the child’s eyes even seemed to sparkle.

Ji Min found it amusing, but couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life this child had lived before.

At first, when Ji Min saw the clothes Ran Ran was wearing, he thought the child came from a decent family.

But seeing how obedient and independent the child was in the hospital, he also thought he might be from a poor family.

Yet, the child’s table manners were extraordinarily well-behaved.

Most importantly, Ji Min always felt that this little one, despite being so young, was more willing to suppress his own needs to make others happy.

That was rare for children of his age.

The child’s energy was limited. After finishing his meal, he started to feel sleepy.

The sky had turned dark.

As it was time to sleep, the fact that the child had no home to return to weighed on him like a heavy mountain.

He seemed to lose his energy again.

At this point, Ji Min had already gone to the study to attend his lessons.

Only Butler Chen was left in the living room.

Ran Ran wandered around the unfamiliar and empty living room for a while.

It seemed like he wanted to go home, as he lifted his foot to walk out of the living room.

But upon seeing the courtyard outside already dark, the child stopped again.

He looked up at Butler Chen, who was standing not far away, and asked, “Uncle, will Ran Ran live here from now on?”

Butler Chen bent down, nodded at him, and asked, “Would you like to see your room?”

The children’s room was well-decorated, with everything a child might need, and it had many toys.

But the child stood by the door frame for a while, showing little interest.

He looked up again and asked Butler Chen, “Uncle, will… Big Brother stay here too?”

Butler Chen nodded, “Yes, the young master has always lived here.”

He pointed out Ji Min’s room to the child.

Upon hearing this, the child seemed to find reassurance and finally settled down.

He obediently stepped into the children’s room.

In the study, Ji Min listened disinterestedly to the lecturer’s explanation of financial knowledge.

He had no interest in subjects that were clearly simple but had to be explained using convoluted theories.

His mind kept wandering.

He was thinking about where Ran Ran would sleep tonight.

Although they had prepared the children’s room for him, at this age, weren’t children usually quite clingy?

What if… Ran Ran wanted to sleep with him?

Ji Min did like this little one.

But since he was young, he had always had a strong sense of boundaries and had never slept with anyone.

He wasn’t particularly comfortable with anyone entering his personal space.

But… what if Ran Ran cried?

Ji Min hesitated for a long time, then raised his hand and said to the tutor, “Let’s take a break.”

He then opened the door to the study and called Butler Chen over.

When Butler Chen came, he had taken off his coat and rolled up his sleeves.

Ji Min thought for a moment, then blurted out, “If Ran Ran doesn’t want to sleep by himself, could you please stay with him, Uncle Chen?”

To Ji Min’s surprise, Butler Chen paused for a moment before replying, “You’re overthinking it.”

“Huh?” Ji Min was puzzled.

Butler Chen stepped aside and pointed to the already-closed door of the children’s room.

He then added, “Ran Ran is already asleep.”

“Ah?” Ji Min was incredulous.

He was a little unwilling to accept it and asked, “Didn’t he insist on seeing Big Brother and want Big Brother to tell him a bedtime story?”

Butler Chen fell silent for a moment.

Then he honestly shook his head. “No. He brushed his teeth by himself, I helped him with his bath, and then he went to bed and fell asleep.”

He couldn’t resist adding, “He’s very well-behaved, not difficult at all.”

Ji Min: “…”

The young man slammed the door shut and angrily went back to his lessons.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Ji Min still found it hard to believe.

He got up, hadn’t washed his face yet, and quietly ran out. He opened the children’s room door and took a look.

The child was sound asleep.

Ji Min had imagined that the child would insist on sleeping with him and want him to tell a bedtime story, which had made him worry about how to reject the request.

Now, seeing that the child didn’t want to sleep with him at all, Ji Min felt even more troubled!

No way, such a young child—why be so independent?

After sulking for a while, Ji Min sighed and went back to wash up.

It was summer break.

But Ji Min still had a heavy workload every day.

Some of it was coursework he had already been assigned.

Other parts were the “cost” he had to pay for bringing Ran Ran back to the Ji family.

Ji Min sat down in the study early in the morning.

Today, the tutor was discussing a well-known acquisition case in the industry, which interested Ji Min a bit.

But he still occasionally zoned out and glanced at the time.

The study door wasn’t closed.

When the acquisition case was finished, Ji Min finally heard the sound of footsteps approaching, the soft “tap-tap” sound.

A small smile curved at the corner of Ji Min’s mouth.

The footsteps outside walked back and forth, finally stopping in front of the study door.

Ji Min turned to look.

He thought the child would come in and was about to wave.

But to his surprise, the child simply stopped outside the study, looked up at him, and then, with a “whoosh”, turned and ran away.

Ji Min was stunned for a moment.

He waited for a while but didn’t hear the child come in.

It seemed like he had been taken to the dining room by Butler Chen for breakfast.

Ji Min could feel that the child probably wanted to come in.

After arriving at this unfamiliar place, Ran Ran had a natural attachment and closeness to him.

As expected, not long after, Ji Min saw half of a fluffy little head peeking through the study window.

The window was a bit high, so the child must have been standing on tiptoe to look inside.

Ji Min couldn’t help but smile a little.

On one hand, he thought the child was so cute that he wanted to watch a little longer.

On the other hand, he couldn’t help but find it amusing—if you want to come in, just come in!

What’s this, sneaking a peek but not coming in?

But just as Ji Min was about to speak to the child, as soon as the child noticed his gaze, he quickly retracted his head.

Outside the window.

Ran Ran crouched down carefully.

He didn’t know why he was hiding, he just instinctively did.

It felt like he had done something wrong.

Ran Ran was also a little scared.

He wasn’t sure if Big Brother would be angry for being caught peeking.

But he really, really wanted to see Big Brother.

He wanted to so much.

Eventually, the child couldn’t resist. He stood up again, tiptoed carefully, and looked inside through the window.

When he lifted his head, he bumped straight into the young man’s smiling eyes.

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