Chapter 13: Toilet Brush

Chen Sheng's arm hung awkwardly, unsure whether to withdraw or continue. He felt a bit embarrassed and forced a smile on his face. Inwardly, he regretted getting entangled in the Shen family's affairs. Looking at Lu Ran's ordering spree, it seemed as if he didn't care about the consequences. Shen Xingzhuo's attitude fluctuated unpredictably. No matter how much of an illegitimate child, the two were still brothers. Why should he, an outsider, intervene? After scolding Chen Sheng, Shen Xingzhuo felt uncomfortable himself. He was still not accustomed to defending Lu Ran.

Once upon a time, he had protected Shen Xingran as if she were the apple of his eye. Now that Lu Ran had returned, it seemed as though he was opposing her.

From the very beginning, he had chosen to stand on Shen Xingran's side.

It didn't seem right for him to be protecting Lu Ran now.

J Shen Xingzhuo cleared his throat and pretended to make trouble for Lu Ran, "I won't be paying this bill. You figure out a way."

"You're more than welcome not to pay."

Lu Ran gave him a sidelong glance.

Shen Xingzhuo raised an eyebrow.

Lu Ran grinned at him with narrowed eyes, "Then I'll just tell them that Young Master Shen, you're my older brother."

Shen Xingzhuo's heart skipped a beat.

But there was no trace of dislike.

Lu Ran continued, "Then tell them that you've eaten shit."

Shen Xingzhuo was stunned.

The fleeting touch in his heart vanished instantly.

Lu Ran analyzed, "Claiming that you're my elder brother only serves as evidence for the truthfulness of the latter half of the sentence."

"That's not me... When did I ever!" Shen Xingzhuo was fuming.

"That day," Lu Ran looked at him with a cool expression.

Horrible memories flooded back.

Shen Xingzhuo desperately explained, "I didn't do it!"

"Who ate it then?"

"You just threw it at me!"

"But the bag broke," Lu Ran commented.

"I didn't get any in my mouth!" Shen Xingzhuo emphasized wildly, his voice slightly raised.

Upon realizing something after his outburst, he turned to look around him.

A few of the wealthy second-generation heirs nearby were staring at him in shock.

Chen Sheng, sitting closest to him, couldn't resist and timidly raised his hand to inquire, "What were you guys talking about eating...?"

Shen Xingzhuo was left speechless.

Just as Shen Xingzhuo was about to rocket into space from frustration, a noise caught their attention.

Lu Ran and the others were in the billiards room on the first floor.

The exterior wall was made up of a large expanse of glass, through which they could see the entrance to the other tower of the twin buildings.

In his previous life, Lu Ran had visited this club before.

He knew that only one of the twin buildings was open to the public, while the other half was rumored to accommodate exclusive guests, connected by a skybridge in between.

Now, the entrance to the other building stood ajar.

Two rows of attendants were standing on the steps.

Not far away, an extended limousine was parked.

"I swear, the door's opened!"

"Who could it be?!"

Lu Ran felt that the vehicle looked somewhat familiar, so he drew closer.

Upon reaching the floor-to-ceiling window, he noticed something peculiar about the attendants on the steps.

The two rows of staff were not standing on either side of the staircase.

Instead, they were standing on either side of the accessible pathway in the middle.

At that moment, someone recognized the vehicle and exclaimed, "Damn! Speak of the devil, it's the Ji family's car!"

Lu Ran turned his head to take a look.

The sliding door of the van opened at that moment.

The middle-aged butler whom Lu Ran had met before stepped out first, standing beside the door.

He pressed some button, and an extendable ramp lowered from the side of the vehicle.

Then, a motorized wheelchair descended slowly from the ramp, stopping steadily on the ground.

A man was seated in the wheelchair.

He wore a dark-gray cashmere coat with broad shoulders, looking far from frail.

However, his legs were firmly covered by a black blanket.

Due to the distance, Lu Ran, who had slight nearsightedness, couldn't make out the man's features clearly.

Yet, he sensed that the person on the wheelchair was very young.

So young that they seemed incompatible with the heavy black blanket draped over them and the wheelchair beneath.

However, there was an air of melancholic maturity that harmoniously matched the wheelchair.

As the man alighted from the vehicle, the waiting supervisor promptly approached to greet him.

He bowed slightly and spoke warmly.

The man in the wheelchair remained silent, leaning back in his chair seemingly with a hint of weariness, exuding a heavy melancholy that spread outward continuously.

It was like a dense, oppressive gray cloud.

The host, who had initially been enthusiastically hospitable, gradually fell silent, standing aside awkwardly, unsure of what to do with his hands.

The man in the wheelchair gave no response.

He maneuvered his wheelchair forward with a remote control.

The supervisor promptly followed, ready to lend a hand in pushing the wheelchair.

The man gestured for him to stop, then skillfully navigated the steps himself with his wheelchair at a slow pace.

His figure vanished behind the glass doors of the building.

Only then did the onlookers subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

The atmosphere in the private room inexplicably heightened.

After a long while, someone murmured, "Why is he here?"

Chen Sheng smoothed things over, "He's a big shot visiting the adjacent building; it has nothing to do with us. You must be tired from playing pool. Let me order some food."

The group left the pool table and began chatting leisurely nearby.

Lu Ran stared at the business vehicle outside, inwardly cursing repeatedly.

The one who sent him and Big Yellow to the hospital that night turned out to be a big shot.

And an incapacitated one at that.

So... what exactly did he say in the car that day?

That being handicapped was worse than death?

Lu Ran cringed at the memory.

He silently commended this influential figure for his kind heart, not having ordered him thrown out of the car.

It seemed he had indeed been fortunate that day.

This big shot probably already had plans to deal with the clan associated with the yellow-haired guy.

Thus, it wasn't a bother for them to lend a hand on their way.

Later, they even utilized the video Lu Ran posted to thoroughly suppress the yellow-haired individual and a few other clans.

Soon, a series of dishes and desserts were served, occupying every inch of Lu Ran's mind.

He didn't think he'd have another chance to interact with such a prominent figure.

Shen Xingzhuo stepped out of the private room to take a call.

Lu Ran strolled about, helping himself to food on his plate.

The club's cuisine was exceptional – unavailable elsewhere and even surpassing the Shen family's chef's skills.

Lu Ran aimed to savor every bite to its fullest.

Since childhood, he had approached eating with great dedication, chewing each morsel meticulously, imbued with a sense of joy.

Even the simplest dish would be consumed with utmost seriousness, as if it were the world's most delectable delicacy.

Observing him eat, others couldn't help but increase their own portion sizes.

Beside Lu Ran, Chen Sheng absentmindedly indulged in three slices of cake before realizing their richness.

Seizing the opportunity with Shen Xingzhuo's absence, Chen Sheng approached Lu Ran and said, "Brother Lu, that was just a joke at the start. Don't hold it against me, okay?"

Lu Ran glanced at him and simply replied, "Don't disturb me while I eat."

Feeling defeated, Chen Sheng slunk away.

Lu Ran lowered his head, focusing intently on cutting his steak.

Suddenly, a voice emerged from nearby, "Oh, you know how to cut a steak, huh?"

The tone was anything but friendly.

Lu Ran lifted his gaze for a fleeting glance. It was a rather handsome boy.

Lu Ran recognized him.

This was Lin Yi, an adversary and yet a friend to Shen Xingran.

In this novel, the main character fits the trope of "tough on words, but soft in actions," a typical endearing archetype in the genre of danmei literature.

But what mattered to Lu Ran was not this.

He remembered Lin Yi because Lin Yi had never approved of him.

It was also due to the fact that in their previous life, Shen Xingran had pushed him into a water pool on a freezing winter day, and it was Lin Yi who, armed with a mop, repeatedly poked him back down every time he managed to climb up.

It caused him to be immersed in cold water for an hour.

It was also because Lin Yi's fiancé had intentions of bedding him.

Seeing Lin Yi approach, Chen Sheng, fearing any trouble, promptly rushed over. "Xiao Yi, why are you here? They're missing you at the card table."

Lin Yi turned to look at him. "Mind your own business."

Chen Sheng inwardly sighed in distress.

He couldn't gauge Shen Xingzhuo's attitude and didn't dare to put Lu Ran in an awkward position with Lin Yi.

Lin Yi, however, detested people of such background due to his father's numerous illegitimate children. Moreover, he wasn't exactly Shen Xingzhuo's underling. He was betrothed to Zhang Lin, the heir of the Zhang family, and with the Zhangs' backing, he had no fear of clashing with the Shens. Chen Sheng didn't wish to offend either side. "Chen Sheng, why do you invite anyone into the private room? People might mistake it for a hungry ghost's visit," Lin Yi commented. A few others laughed along. Lu Ran seemed oblivious, his head lowered as he patiently ate from his plate. As he ate, a hand reached out. With a loud "bang," Lu Ran's plate was knocked to the ground, splattering food residue all over him. A man standing beside Lin Yi chuckled and said, "Xiao Yi is talking to you. How rude can you be?"

Lu Ran lifted his head, without any trace of anger on his face.

He merely took a tissue to wipe his mouth and hands.

Looking at the food on the ground, he sighed regretfully.

Softly, he said, "If Shen Xingzhuo and Shen Xingran were here, they would definitely remind you not to provoke me during mealtime."

If Shen Xingzhuo outside the door had heard that, he would have shivered on the spot.

But Lin Yi and his lackey were clueless.

The lackey even chuckled as he knocked Lu Ran's bag onto the floor.

An old pencil case mixed with a few scattered lab reports landed on the ground.

Lin Yi nudged it with his foot, then read out the words on it, "Extraction of Bacterial Community from Cow Dung..."

Suddenly, he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, what are you studying? Cow dung every day?"

Lu Ran gazed at the experiment report that was now beneath someone's feet.

He spoke calmly, "The second thing I despise is when someone disturbs me during meals."

"The first thing I hate is when someone touches my assignments."

The people around them were still chuckling.

The private room's door opened as Shen Xingzhuo entered after finishing his call.

Looking at the mess in front of Lu Ran, he furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice, "What happened here?"

Lu Ran turned to walk out of the private room.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, assuming he was going to complain to Shen Xingzhuo.

To her surprise, Lu Ran walked past Shen Xingzhuo without even sparing him a glance.

Lin Yi chuckled, "Leaving already? So cowardly?"

Shen Xingzhuo glanced at the scattered bags and food on the floor, then turned to Lin Yi.

His gaze darkened. "What did you do?"

"I just said a few words," Lin Yi shrugged nonchalantly.

He had stood up for Shen Xingran, and didn't expect much of a reaction from Shen Xingzhuo.

However, in the next moment, his neck was gripped, and he was lifted off the ground by Shen Xingzhuo.

"Who the hell allowed you to touch his stuff?"

The others in the room were still in disbelief.

With a creak, the door to the private room opened again.

Lu Ran, who had just left, stood by the entrance, holding... a toilet brush?

It looked brand new and was even dripping with water.

It was as if he had snatched it right out of the hands of an auntie mopping the toilet.

Everyone present froze again upon seeing what Lu Ran held in his hand. Their gazes instinctively followed Lu Ran's movements, then they hastily retreated when he approached.

Only Shen Xingzhuo was an exception.

The "weapon" in Lu Ran's hand sent shivers down his spine.

He swiftly let go of Lin Yi and jumped onto a sofa nearby.

Chen Sheng, who was trying to mediate, was confused but followed suit, leaping onto the sofa without thinking.

Soon, he realized that he had made an incredibly wise decision.

Lu Ran raised the toilet brush, aiming at the lackey who had knocked over his plate.

"You can't eat, so no one else can, is that it?"

The lackey still wore a smug grin, attempting to swat away Lu Ran's toilet brush just as he usually did.

Only to realize, there seemed to be no suitable spot to grab...

The lackey stepped back, utterly confused.

"Y-You..." He swallowed, attempting to say that they could discuss things properly.

But the moment his mouth opened, the toilet brush was shoved entirely into it.