CFRFGC Chapter 22

⌈”Letting him pour the wine, are you worthy?”⌋

After Lu Ran moved back into the Shen household, he became even more brazen in his behavior.

Madam Shen was furious but helpless. In the end, she decided to go on another vacation to avoid further frustration.

As a result, Lu Ran enjoyed a brief period of peace.

Most of the final exams had already concluded, but the project Lu Ran was working on in the lab was still ongoing, so he continued going to school every day. He changed into his lab coat, checked on the bacteria samples he had separated, and brought them back for further cultivation.

Not long after he began working, a male classmate approached him. The boy was quite handsome and had a familiar, easygoing attitude. He nudged Lu Ran with his elbow, saying, “My experiment’s giving me trouble. The data just isn’t working out. Can you come help me take a look?”

Without waiting for Lu Ran’s agreement, the boy leaned in to look over Lu Ran’s experiment data.

Lu Ran glanced up at him. This boy was Ding Wei, who used to be his best friend.

But that was only in his previous life, during the earlier half.

Later, Ding Wei became a devoted follower of Shen Xingran.

If this were a storybook, Lu Ran would be the villain who attempted to steal from the protagonist and deserved to be crushed. Ding Wei, on the other hand, was the sidekick who was eventually “enlightened” by the protagonist. He first served as the villain’s helper, then realized the protagonist’s worth, switched sides, and helped defeat the villain.

Lu Ran didn’t have many friends.

He had grown up in an orphanage. No matter how well-managed the orphanage was, resources were always limited. Even if they weren’t in dire shortage, they were still finite. In such an environment, no child ever truly had something to call their own.

In the orphanage, it was tolerable, but once you were out in the world, that sense of protecting your resources became much stronger.

Just like Lu Ran, who rarely shared anything with others for free—even something as small as a steamed bun worth just a few cents.

But Ding Wei was an exception.

They had met in high school and Ding Wei was the only person with whom Lu Ran willingly shared everything. Later, they got into the same university and enrolled in the same major.

For Ding Wei’s sake, Lu Ran had chosen the same experimental direction, selflessly sharing his research results. Every holiday, when Ding Wei didn’t want to stay in the lab and wanted to go home, Lu Ran took over his work.

In his previous life, during an experimental report, Ding Wei had presented Lu Ran’s research as his own, leaving Lu Ran in an awkward position during his own presentation.

Even then, Lu Ran had naively thought it was just because their research directions were too similar.

It wasn’t until later when he saw Ding Wei frequently hanging around Shen Xingran, that the truth became clear.

Lu Ran finally realized that his only good friend was gone too.

Ding Wei was still peering over to take a look.

Lu Ran reached out and closed the experimental record book.

Unlike usual, where he would comply with Ding Wei, this time Lu Ran simply said, “Why don’t you take some time to look again? I have a lecture to attend, so I’m leaving.”

Ding Wei paused for a moment, slightly displeased. “Fine then.”

Lu Ran tidied up his workstation and took pictures of today’s experiment process.

At that moment, a commotion echoed from the hallway outside the lab.

Lu Ran looked up and saw a group of unfamiliar students chattering as they walked by.

“Wow, it’s the people from the Elite Academy!” Ding Wei leaned his head out to see.

Lu Ran continued with his task, glancing up to see, as expected, Shen Xingran among the group.

Shen Xingran stood out like a star surrounded by a moon, with several girls gathered around him, chatting animatedly.

He smiled lightly, not wearing a lab coat like everyone else but instead donned a luxurious-looking cashmere sweater.

The warm white sweater indeed made him look like the campus’s shining light.

He casually glanced into the lab, spotted Lu Ran, and nodded with a smile from a superior height.

Lu Ran went back to tidying up his things.

Shen Xingran also attended Y University.

However, he was enrolled in the elite academy jointly operated by domestic and foreign institutions, which charged exorbitant tuition and required students to have plans for studying abroad, as well as their parents to attend interviews.

Lu Ran couldn’t afford the tuition, nor did he have the means to study abroad.

Moreover, he didn’t even have parents to attend an interview.

Naturally, he was out of reach of such an academy and could only work hard in the lab to earn innovation credits.

Seemingly finding the scene amusing, Shen Xingran, who had felt stifled in the Shen household for some time, lifted his foot to walk toward the lab.

Lu Ran raised his eyebrows and put back the experimental materials he had almost discarded.

Shen Xingran glanced down, paused his steps, and then turned back.

Only then did Lu Ran put away the cow dung in his hands.

Ding Wei, standing nearby, didn’t understand the “confrontation” between the two, but he did see Shen Xingran greeting Lu Ran.

“Did that young master of the Shen family just wave at you?” Ding Wei asked.

“I didn’t see it,” Lu Ran replied.

Ding Wei looked somewhat dissatisfied. “When did you get to know someone from the Elite Academy and not tell me?”

In his previous life, Lu Ran would have already revealed his background to Ding Wei by this point.

But this time, he hadn’t.

Lu Ran had no intention of sharing that information either.

He simply checked the time and reminded, “The lab is about to close and you have to go to work tonight too, right?”

Only then did Ding Wei leave.

In the following days, Shen Xingran didn’t come by again.

Ding Wei, however, subtly inquired a few times.

One evening, after finishing work, Lu Ran stopped by the lab again before heading home.

He discovered that the incubator he had locked before leaving in the morning had been pried open.

The petri dishes labeled with his name and the experimental materials stored nearby had all been thrown into a nearby trash bin.

Lu Ran frowned.

He took the items out of the trash and carefully inspected the situation.

The lids of the petri dishes had all been opened.

The colonies inside had been contaminated and were no longer usable.

A senior sister who was staying in the lab came in and, upon seeing what he held, clicked her tongue in regret. “Who did such a cruel thing? All your efforts over the past few days were wasted. We have a group meeting next week—do you have enough time to redo it?”

“It’s fine,” Lu Ran replied calmly as he put the items away. “I still have some strains left in my fridge.”

“That’s good,” the senior sister said as she began to check the surveillance footage.

However, in an undergraduate lab, there were always people coming and going. The person who did this clearly came prepared, and nothing useful was captured on the footage.

The senior sister could only adjust the camera to focus on the incubator.

She also replaced the lock on the incubator.

Lu Ran then redid the experiment.

It didn’t seem like Ding Wei was responsible for this.

They hadn’t yet reached the point of tearing their relationship apart and Ding Wei probably hadn’t contacted Shen Xingran yet.

But it must be connected to Shen Xingran somehow.

Lu Ran placed the newly inoculated petri dishes back into the incubator and cleared away the experimental materials that had been thrown into the trash.

The next day, after finishing class, Lu Ran rushed into the lab.

He found that his usual workstation was surrounded by people.

When Ding Wei saw him, he waved him over.

Lu Ran pushed through the crowd to get closer.

On the experimental table lay a gruesome sight.

A hamster had been skinned, its belly opened, and it lay on its back, pinned to the table.

The person who did this had left the workstation in disarray.

It seemed that they had intended to use a lab animal.

However, Lu Ran’s experiment hadn’t reached the stage where he could apply for lab animals yet, and the management of lab animals at their school was very strict. Any applications for animals and their deaths required thorough documentation and reporting.

With no other option, the person must have bought a pet hamster to dissect instead.

“Did you offend someone?” Ding Wei asked.

Lu Ran didn’t respond. He silently pulled out the pins and wrapped the hamster’s body in a paper towel.

Then he cleaned up the blood stains on the table.

That night, Lu Ran quit the part-time job he was currently doing and found a new one.

The music in the club was deafening.

Shen Xingzhuo sat alone in a corner, frowning and lost in thought.

Someone oblivious approached him, “Brother Zhuo, come play cards!”

“Get lost.” Shen Xingzhuo shot back with a single word.

The person scurried away, dejected.

Ever since that day he was blocked by Lu Ran outside the Shen family home, Shen Xingzhuo had been in a foul mood.

He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

It was a kind of indescribable frustration.

As he sat there brooding, a familiar voice rang out, “Sir, your drink.”

Shen Xingzhuo froze for a moment, looking up and following the sound.

To his annoyance, the person who irritated him was not only in the private room but also wearing the club’s standard uniform, bending down to pour drinks for others.

Shen Xingzhuo could hardly stand the sight. For a moment, he wondered if he had drunk too much and was seeing things.

Most of the people in the private room were Lu Ran’s acquaintances, who had seen him sell steamed buns all morning.

When they saw Lu Ran pouring drinks for himself, they almost jumped up from the sofa in surprise.

Chen Sheng was different.

He instinctively greeted Lu Ran, “Hey, Brother Lu! What are you doing here?”

“Just working part-time,” Lu Ran replied casually.

Chen Sheng gave him a thumbs up and lifted his glass, ready to drink.

Suddenly, he recalled the previous encounter with the steamed buns.

He hesitated and cautiously asked Lu Ran, “Brother Lu, how much is this, um, drink?”

A steamed bun was a hundred bucks in Lu Ran’s hand.

This drink better not cost him a fortune.

“You’ll have to ask the boss about that,” Lu Ran shrugged.

Chen Sheng then felt relieved and drank up.

Lu Ran pushed the cart, serving all the drinks ordered in the private room.

Shen Xingzhuo kept his gaze fixed on him as he poured drinks, continuing to ignore him once he finished pouring at his side.

Not everyone in the private room was familiar faces.

Some newcomers didn’t recognize Lu Ran. Seeing that he was decent-looking, they couldn’t help but tease him and encourage him to drink a little.

Lu Ran didn’t refuse.

As the server responsible for opening drinks, he indeed needed to taste them occasionally.

Just a small cup.

Moreover, this club was well-managed, so there wouldn’t be any malicious incidents.

Lu Ran had just picked up his drink when Shen Xingzhuo suddenly stood up and snatched the glass from him.

“Drink? You think just because I let you drink, you can drink?”

The guest who had been teasing Lu Ran suddenly felt a bit awkward.

Not realizing that it was just a small server, he hesitated, “Second Young Master Shen…”

“Get lost!” Shen Xingzhuo cursed.

He turned and glared at the bottles of alcohol on the nearby tables, coldly saying, “Let’s see who dares to let him serve drinks!”

The surrounding crowd fell silent, some still trying to make sense of the situation.

Hearing Shen Xingzhuo’s words, they thought he had a problem with the new server.

In the next moment, Shen Xingzhuo declared, “Letting him pour drinks, do you think you’re worthy?”

Chen Sheng’s hand trembled.

He discreetly hid the empty glass he had just finished.

In the heavy silence, some people couldn’t help but speculate about Lu Ran’s status as a “bastard child” in the Shen family.

“Are you seriously sick?” Lu Ran tucked his drink away.

He ignored Shen Xingzhuo, apologized to the guest who had been scolded, and downed the drink in one go.

This left the man feeling a bit embarrassed.

Shen Xingzhuo’s anger surged.

“Am I sick or are you sick? Didn’t I tell you not to work? Why are you here pouring drinks for others?”

Lu Ran looked at him as if he were a fool and asked, “You can’t seriously think that because you’re paying me, I’d give up all my other job opportunities, right?”

“You!” Shen Xingzhuo was nearly choking on his words.

He pointed at Lu Ran for a while, then dragged him outside the private room, asking, “Come on, how much is your salary?”

Lu Ran remained composed.

He tactfully replied, “The job opportunities I have now are very precious. You can’t get them for less than triple the price; at least five times.”

Saying this, he swiftly pulled out his payment code.

Shen Xingzhuo was left seething at the thought of his hard-earned money.

As he processed the payment, he suddenly felt something was off.

How was it that Lu Ran just happened to work at his usual club?

He stared at Lu Ran, realizing, “Did you come here specifically to scam me?”

“Not at all, not at all! It’s just that the boss here pays so well,” Lu Ran modestly replied.

He thought, why not take advantage of a rich fool?

The two returned to the private room, only to find the atmosphere had grown tense.

Lu Ran looked up and noticed a few new faces in the room.

A young man was sitting in the main seat on the sofa, with two people standing beside him, looking around.

The man was toying with a car key that had a frosted gold lion’s head design.

One of the men next to him saw Lu Ran in his server uniform and immediately pointed him out, saying to the man, “Brother Lin, it’s him.”

---