CFRFGC Chapter 112

⌈”Make a face for me.”⌋

After reading the message, Lu Ran let out a deep sigh of relief.

He replied to Butler Chen with a few words, then lay back on the bed. Only then did the drowsiness hit him, pressing down like seawater.

The next day, Fang Chen came to find Lu Ran again.

What greeted him was a completely different scene.

Lu Ran was humming a tune while wiping down the laboratory bench, clearly having completed his tasks ahead of time.

Moreover, his demeanor was worlds apart from the distracted state of yesterday.

Fang Chen couldn’t help but wonder aloud: “Seeing you like this, I should dedicate ‘Good Luck Comes Your Way’ to you.”

Usually, when Fang Chen said things like this, Lu Ran wouldn’t pay him any mind.

But today, Lu Ran actually looked over at him and said, “Go ahead and request it.”

Fang Chen: “…”

Even if Lu Ran was fine blasting such an over-the-top song as background music in public, he wasn’t willing to go that far.

Another day passed. Lu Ran finally received a video call directly from Ji Min.

The man was leaning against a hospital bed, looking no different than usual.

There was none of the frailty or sickly air one might expect after undergoing major surgery.

Instead, the narrow backrest of the hospital bed made his shoulders and back appear even broader.

When the video connected, neither of them spoke for a moment.

They simply stared at each other in silence.

Lu Ran had even set up a phone stand on his desk and lay sprawled across it, his pair of dark, lively eyes fixed on the screen.

After a while, Ji Min couldn’t help but chuckle and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

His voice was still slightly hoarse, a lingering effect of the anesthesia.

Lu Ran stared at the camera for a long moment before finally saying, “Ji Min, I want to see your legs.”

“What’s there to see? They’re still in a cast.”

Even as Ji Min said this, he still adjusted the camera to show Lu Ran his legs, both wrapped in plaster.

Lu Ran felt a twinge of heartache but couldn’t help asking, “Does it hurt?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it was a foolish question.

Having just undergone surgery a day or two ago, with the anesthesia only recently wearing off, this was undoubtedly the most excruciating period.

Ji Min chuckled softly and asked him instead, “And you? How have you been lately?”

Lu Ran straightened his back and, with his chin raised high, said, “I’ve been amazing recently! The experiments are going smoothly. I’m eating well and sleeping great. Not only am I working two jobs, but I’ve also started developing a new business.”

The young man spoke with such enthusiasm that it was as if his face declared he was completely unaffected.

“Oh, is that so?” Ji Min raised an eyebrow, watching him.

“Yep!” Lu Ran nodded firmly.

But inwardly, he felt a bit guilty.

He hadn’t been sleeping well the past couple of days. When he got up this morning, he noticed dark circles still lingering under his eyes.

Eating alone didn’t suit him either. Yesterday, he weighed himself in the lab and found he had lost weight.

But he wasn’t about to admit defeat. Things like that couldn’t be said aloud.

Lu Ran cleared his throat lightly.

Just as he was about to change the subject, he saw the man on the screen smirking as he teased, “Is it because you’ve been sleeping in my room that you’re sleeping so well?”

Lu Ran froze.

Then he immediately turned his head to look.

The camera was pointed directly at Ji Min’s bedroom, focusing on the bed that belonged to him.

Scattered around were Ji Min’s clothes, casually draped over the armrest he often used.

Lu Ran: “…”

“You’re mistaken,” he tried to save face. “I just went into your room to, uh, check things out. Your bathroom is more convenient, that’s all!”

Ji Min pressed a finger to his temple, stifling his laughter.

After being mercilessly teased, Lu Ran gave up and decided to go all in. “Fine, laugh if you want. What’s wrong with me staying in my boyfriend’s room?”

Ji Min laughed for quite a while before he finally stopped.

Ji Min looked at Lu Ran again and asked, “You’re eating well too? How come I heard from the butler that you haven’t been eating much at night lately?”

Lu Ran fell silent for a moment, then slumped back onto the desk.

He muttered, “Since you already know, why bother asking me?”

For some reason, a wave of longing suddenly swept over him.

Ji Min also paused briefly.

He nodded slightly and said softly, “I saw it.”

“Hmm? Saw what?” Lu Ran asked.

Ji Min lifted his eyes to look at him and said, “I saw the message you sent, saying you missed me.”

Lu Ran froze.

He blinked, and for a moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to see Ji Min.

He wanted desperately to rush to that isolated surgical building, no matter the cost.

But he reminded himself that Ji Min had just undergone surgery.

The fact that Ji Min had summoned the energy to call him now was already remarkable.

So, he lowered his gaze and quickly said, “It’s late. You should get some rest.”

From Ji Min’s side, the butler’s soft reminder could also be heard.

Ji Min hesitated briefly before replying, “Alright. Good night. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Mm, see you tomorrow!”

Lu Ran immediately perked up again.

After hanging up Ji Min’s video call, Fang Chen’s phone call came in right after.

The first thing Fang Chen said was, “Why weren’t you answering my calls?”

Lu Ran didn’t respond to that and instead asked, “What’s up?”

“I was calling to get you to team up for a game!” Fang Chen replied.

But soon after, his tone lowered, sounding mysteriously secretive. “But while calling you, I got some good news.”

“What good news?” Lu Ran was a little surprised.

However, a sudden commotion came from Fang Chen’s end, followed by a hurried voice.

“Shh! My dad’s here. Let’s talk about it tomorrow!”

The next day, before Lu Ran could meet up with Fang Chen at school, he unexpectedly ran into Shen Xingran.

Shen Xingran and several other students from the elite academy were attending an outdoor course.

Unlike the pleading demeanor Shen Xingran had when begging Gu Ningqi at the Gu residence some time ago, he was back to his usual radiant self at school.

When he saw Lu Ran, he even greeted him with a smile and said, “Brother, you should go home sometime soon. Dad’s in a great mood lately—maybe you two can have a good chat.”

His tone was gentle, but the underlying message carried a lot of weight.

Recently, because Lu Ran had been spending a lot of time with Fang Chen, more people at school began paying attention to him.

Naturally, some started bringing up Lu Ran’s connection to the Shen family. Unlike the previous rumors about him being an illegitimate child, this time, thanks to Fang Chen’s social status and his evident regard for Lu Ran, the gossip solidified into a narrative that Lu Ran was the legitimate young master of the Shen family.

Some opportunistic individuals even began fawning over Lu Ran because of his identity.

However, Shen Xingran’s statement carried subtle implications.

Not only did he point out that Lu Ran wasn’t living at the Shen family home, but his words also hinted at strained relations between Lu Ran and his family.

Lu Ran paid no mind to this pseudo-dramatic way of speaking.

But after reflecting on something he had been planning to do a few days ago, he nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I should go back for a visit.”

Hearing Lu Ran agree so readily, Shen Xingran’s expression froze for a moment.

At that moment, Fang Chen arrived and promptly dragged Lu Ran away.

Once they were far from Shen Xingran and his group, Fang Chen glanced back, then turned to Lu Ran with a dissatisfied look.

“I really don’t like your brother. Last time I went to your place, he even said he wanted to throw Da Huang out.”

“If you keep hanging out with him, I’m not going to come find you anymore,” Fang Chen added.

Lu Ran rolled his eyes. “Which eye of yours sees me wanting to hang out with him?”

The kind of “hanging out” that involves shoving someone into a pile of manure, maybe?

Seeing Lu Ran’s disdainful attitude, Fang Chen immediately brightened up.

Lu Ran, however, frowned slightly as he pondered Shen Xingran’s behavior.

Suddenly recalling what he had wanted to share, Fang Chen exclaimed excitedly, “Guess what good news I was going to tell you?”

Lu Ran glanced at him, paused, and then said, “Don’t tell me your dad is planning to hand that project over to the Shen family?”

Fang Chen was stunned. “Huh? You already knew?”

He looked at Lu Ran in surprise and said, “My dad doesn’t even talk to me about these things! I only overheard it yesterday while passing by his study after I called you. It seems he’s really interested in some new technology your family’s been working on.”

As he spoke, Fang Chen shook his head humbly and added, “Don’t thank me or anything. I don’t have any influence over my dad’s decisions—this is all thanks to your Shen family being awesome.”

But just as he finished, he noticed Lu Ran glaring at him with a sullen expression.

“What… what are you looking at me like that for?” Fang Chen shivered involuntarily.

Lu Ran reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “Take back what you just said and we’ll still be good friends.”

What’s so good about the Shen family landing a project?

The Shen family going bankrupt would be the greatest blessing of all.

Seeing Lu Ran’s sour expression, Fang Chen awkwardly muttered, “Your family’s about to land such a big project—why aren’t you happy?”

Lu Ran didn’t hide it and explained the mess between him and the Shen family.

Fang Chen was absolutely floored.

“Whoa, seriously? That kind of stuff actually happens? What are your parents even after?”

Then, he patted Lu Ran on the back in consolation. “Anyway, all I heard was my dad giving them some praise. The final decision isn’t set in stone yet.”

Lu Ran lowered his head and pondered for a while without saying anything.

That evening, Ji Min called again via video chat.

He talked with Lu Ran about his recovery progress.

Ji Min sent updates every single day.

But the lack of face-to-face interaction only made the longing pile up.

The man always had good news to share: The wound was healing well and the cast had been removed and replaced with a lighter brace.

Fang Chen frequently hung out with Lu Ran.

Thanks to his family background, Fang Chen was always exposed to novel and interesting things.

Lu Ran occasionally tagged along to have some fun.

The Fang Chen Ji Min had chosen truly became one of Lu Ran’s rare close friends.

The laboratory project concluded successfully and Lu Ran earned new credits as well.

It seemed like everything was moving in a positive direction.

Lu Ran’s life now felt like a completely different version compared to his past one.

But one day, as Lu Ran sat on the couch holding Da Huang, he was suddenly struck by a faint sense of unreality.

A nameless panic welled up inside him.

Unable to suppress it, Lu Ran dialed Ji Min’s number for a video call.

The call connected almost instantly.

The man in the video remained as composed and reassuring as ever, exuding a presence that could always calm and support.

Smiling, he asked, “What’s wrong? Why the sudden call?”

Lu Ran couldn’t help himself and reverted to the old nickname. “Boss, can… can you stand up now?”

“I can.”

As the man moved, the view in the video rose, signaling that he had indeed stood up.

Lu Ran instantly perked up, his eyes sparkling. “Then, can I come see you?”

Hearing this, the man in the video paused briefly before replying, “Not yet. You’ll have to wait a little longer.”

“Huh?” Lu Ran’s expression fell.

Ji Min quickly comforted him with a few gentle words.

In the following days, Lu Ran used every spare moment to contact Ji Min.

No matter when he started a video call, the man was always impeccably composed, as if the long-planned and grueling surgery, which had lasted over ten hours, hadn’t caused him any pain or side effects at all.

But Lu Ran grew increasingly uneasy.

During yet another video call, he couldn’t hold back and asked, “Can I really not see you?”

Ji Min’s answer was the same as before: “Not yet.”

Lu Ran pressed his lips together.

Suddenly, he pointed at the phone camera and shouted, “Tell the truth! You’re not some AI, are you?”

The man in the video froze for a moment before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

“Why would you think that?” Ji Min asked, amused.

“I… I…”

Lu Ran hesitated for a long while before firmly declaring, “I just feel like something’s off! Prove to me you’re not an AI with a fake face.”

“Oh? How do I prove that?” Ji Min asked, still smiling.

“Make a funny face for me,” Lu Ran demanded.

Ji Min: “…”

After a moment of resignation, Ji Min gave in, tugging at the corners of his mouth with his fingers to make an exaggeratedly goofy face.

“Does this work now?” he asked.

Lu Ran felt somewhat reassured, but his unease hadn’t entirely dissipated.

The next day, after class, Lu Ran habitually stood by the classroom door, waiting for Fang Chen to join him for lunch.

He waited for a while, watching the crowds pouring out from the teaching building below.

Suddenly, Lu Ran realized something wasn’t right.

Ji Min’s surgery had gone too smoothly.

A surgery that was supposed to be so dangerous and lasted over ten hours was described by Ji Min as if it were nothing more than a routine appendectomy.

If the surgery had truly been that smooth, Ji Min wouldn’t have delayed it for so long.

And then there were Ji Min’s arrangements…

In such a short time, Ji Min had organized everything—assigning bodyguards to stay by his side and preparing months’ worth of signed parental consent forms.

Those consent forms weren’t only signed by Ji Min; a few bore Butler Chen’s signature as well.

He even arranged for Fang Chen.

Especially Fang Chen.

This person had been specifically chosen as a companion, someone to eat with, play with, and game with him.

Such thorough preparation…

It felt as though Ji Min had been deliberately helping him get used to a life without him.

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