Chapter 28: The Banquet (Conclusion)

Ji Min watched Lu Ran in silence.

It was baffling how this kid, who didn't even recognize a condom, was now casually throwing around the word "sleep."

Lu Ran ignored him and continued with his task, squatting down on the ground.

Ji Min knew Shen Xingyu.

He had previously been puzzled as to why Ji Min would help him, but upon learning this piece of information, it all made sense.

Who knew if Shen Xingyu had asked Mr. Ji to keep an eye on him, fearing that he might cause trouble for the Shen family.

When Ji Min looked down again, Zhang Lin was now completely naked on the floor.

He observed as Lu Ran dragged Zhang Lin's hair out.

Hardly had he dragged a few steps when the child frowned and fixed his gaze outside again.

Before Ji Min could figure out what he was looking at, Lu Ran had already set Zhang Lin down and leaned against the rear window, bellowing into the backyard, "Hey! Don't you dare bully my dog!"

A few children who had come to the party sneaked from the front yard into the back.

They were currently dragging Big Yellow by its injured hind leg.

Big Yellow didn't dare bark or bite; instead, it flailed its front legs and whined.

Ji Min's eyes returned to Lu Ran.

The teenager was on tenterhooks.

Seeing that his initial shout had been ineffective, he glanced back at Zhang Lin on the ground.

Just moments ago, he had "threatened" Ji Min not to hinder his "great endeavor."

Now, without hesitation, he had chosen to save his dog over his "endeavor."

Lu Ran made a direct exit through the rear window.

Perched on the windowsill, he turned his head to glance at Ji Min just a moment before descending.

"You..." The youth pressed his lips together, his voice stern yet betraying an underlying weakness, "I haven't confiscated your phone, but you're not allowed to make calls to anyone outside, nor are you permitted to wake him up."

"Not allowed?" Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

Few have the audacity to tell him, "No."

"I'll see you out later," Lu Ran muttered before leaping out the window.

The room fell into a sudden silence.

Only Zhang Lin's snoring remained.

Ji Min stared at the empty window, surprised that he hadn't actually dialed the phone.

His gaze shifted from the window, taking in the modest interior of the room.

The space was small and spartan.

There was only one bed.

On it sat a collapsible table with two scattered pens and a few English proficiency test papers of Level 4.

Aside from that, a suitcase nestled in the corner caught his eye.

Surveying the room once more, there was truly nothing else to see.

Unintentionally, his eyes fell back onto the naked figure sprawled on the floor.

Ji Min reached out to press his forehead.

Suddenly, the scene struck him as utterly absurd.

What on earth was he doing?

Are you entertaining a child's nonsense?

At the banquet.

Shen Xingran checked the time.

Zhang Lin had been inside for roughly ten minutes.

He should have stripped Lu Ran by now.

Earlier, Zhang Lin mentioned on WeChat that he would teach Lu Ran a lesson by stripping him naked and pushing him into the crowd.

Back then, Shen Xingran had, of course, "earnestly" tried to talk him out of it for a while.

But now, he didn't just want to witness the scene.

Merely stripping him wouldn't suffice, would it?

After adjusting his emotions for a while.

Shen Xingran glanced at the butler who had accompanied Ji Min.

Madam Shen was engaged in conversation with other guests.

However, Shen Hongyuan remained by the butler's side, and to everyone's satisfaction, the Zhang couple were also present.

With a look of concern, Shen Xingran approached them.

He first pulled Shen Hongyuan aside for a whisper: "Dad, Zhang Lin has suddenly vanished. I'm afraid he might have gotten drunk somewhere... Should we send someone to look for him?"

Unfortunately, his voice wasn't hushed enough.

The mention of "Zhang Lin" was just loud enough for the Zhangs to overhear.

Mrs. Zhang immediately asked, "What's wrong with my son?"

A hint of awkwardness flickered across Shen Xingran's face as he shot a glance at Shen Hongyuan before responding, "Brother Lin said he needed to talk to me, but I haven't seen him after waiting for so long. And he's been... in a rather bad mood these few days. I'm a bit worried about him."

Shen Xingran's words struck a chord with Mrs. Zhang.

Zhang Lin has been acting rather peculiar lately.

Even at today's gathering, his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Madam Zhang was a powerhouse in her career but doted on her son, Zhang Lin, immensely. She promptly asked Shen Hongyuan, "Mr. Shen, I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you help me locate my son?"

With Madam Zhang's personal request, Shen Hongyuan naturally agreed and led a few people to search for him.

Of course, Shen Xingran offered her assistance, calling over Ding Wei and a few of his classmates.

The Zhang couple, Shen Hongyuan, and their group scoured the villa.

Both families hadn't forgotten about the prominent guest of honor for the day.

As they searched, they reminded Shen Xingran, "Mr. Ji prefers tranquility; he's likely in the backyard. Please don't disturb him."

Despite their efforts to be discreet, the commotion still caught the attention of the other guests at the party.

With an air of formality, Shen Xingran led the search through every room upstairs.

Eventually, she met up with Shen Hongyuan in front of Lu Ran's door on the first floor.

"Dad..."

Looking at Lu Ran's door, Shen Xingran's face was filled with concern. "O-Only Brother's room is left..."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Shen Hongyuan's expression immediately darkened.

He reached out to grab the doorknob of Lu Ran's room.

But remembering his son's usual antics, his fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Noticing Shen Hongyuan's reaction, Mrs. Zhang sensed something was amiss.

She tried to persuade him, "Since it's a child's room, let's just drop it. Should we continue searching elsewhere?"

Shen Hongyuan was already secretly annoyed by his own hesitation.

Mrs. Zhang's remark fueled his anger even more, making him feel humiliated in front of all the guests.

As if that was a joke.

In his own home, could there be a door he couldn't open?

Shen Hongyuan reached for the doorknob to unlock it.

Only to find that the door was locked from the inside.

This enraged Shen Hongyuan, who promptly kicked the door with his foot.

At that moment, the corners of Shen Xingran's lips almost involuntarily curved upward.

He could almost picture the scene inside the room - it must be quite a spectacle.

Didn't Lu Ran want to make a name for himself in high society?

Are they still discussing some tale of origins outside?

This time, his story would surely make waves in Beijing's high society.

The corner of Shen Xingran's eye caught sight of the butler's figure.

His anticipation grew even more.

Slam!

The door was kicked open.

The crowd present was in an uproar.

Followed by... an eerily extreme silence.

Shen Xingran stood off to the side, not seeing the scene inside the room.

But from the reactions of the people, he knew that his purpose had been achieved.

Was the situation inside the room that explosive?

Even the passing Chen Butler was taken aback.

This profound silence lasted for a full minute.

Something felt off to Shen Xingran.

Could it be… Zhang Lin and Lu Ran actually slept together?

This speculation made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He took the initiative to voice his concern, "Brother Lin… Are you there? Are you alright?"

A chilling voice emerged from Lu Ran's room, "He's here, doing just fine."

Shen Xingran froze for a moment before hastily approaching.

In the narrow servant's quarters, one could see Lu Ran, a distinguished guest from the Shen family, quietly seated inside with an extremely grim expression.

At his feet lay a naked man – none other than Zhang Lin.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Ji Min, a guest of the Shen family, and Zhang Lin, the second-generation heir of the Zhangs, were found in the room of the Shen family's mysterious illegitimate child??

Well, this was quite a tangled web.

Shen Hongyuan, who had led the search, stood frozen, his lips moving soundlessly.

His mind was reeling...

He had just kicked down the door of this big shot?

Ah, no, he was kicking the door to his own son's room, Lu Ran's...

Wait, wrong! Ji Min was actually in Lu Ran's room?

Shen Hongyuan's brain was about to overheat.

The Zhang couple were also utterly stunned.

They glanced at their naked son, lying on the floor.

He then glanced at Ji Min, who was sitting in the wheelchair.

Apparently, something had happened earlier, as the dark blue cashmere throw blanket on Ji Min's legs had shifted to one side, now creased and no longer pristine.

Right at that moment.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The pill Zhang Lin had taken before entering finally took effect.

Thus, he put on a live display of raising a flag right there.

It was as if he was flipping everyone outside the door the middle finger.

The crowd outside collectively took a step back.

The Zhangs' faces turned ashen.

They felt that every gaze directed at them seemed to be whispering:

"Hmm... Your son doesn't seem to have much potential!"

After dealing with the rowdy children, Lu Ran returned to the window with Big Yellow in his arms.

This was the astonishing scene that greeted him.

He looked at Zhang Lin raising the flag on the ground, then at Ji Min in the wheelchair, and finally at the cluster of people outside the door.

Lu Ran's mouth gaped wide open in an O shape.

He had only been away for a short while and was already eager to return.

What could have possibly happened?

Before anyone noticed him, Lu Ran swiftly crouched down and hid behind the window, leaving no trace of his presence.

Stealthily preserving his reputation.

Outside the door.

"Gi-, Gi-, Gi-Min... Sir..."

President Zhang weakly called out.

Unfortunately, he was unaware of what had transpired between Ji Min and his son.

Was it his son, driven by concern for the family business, who had stripped naked to offer himself, or had Ji Min's primal instincts taken over, casting an ominous shadow over his intentions towards the young man?

It was Mrs. Zhang who reacted promptly, hurriedly removing her cloak to cover her son.

Yet, it was too late to hide; the cloak turned the wheelchair into a tiny tent.

It couldn't be more awkward.

Seeing this, Housekeeper Chen fell silent on the side.

Never had he imagined that the drama would involve someone from his own family.

Ji Min, seated in his wheelchair, clenched his fingers so hard that they creaked.

He was genuinely furious.

Just moments ago, he was sitting in his room, pondering the meaning of life.

He was also looking for a power outlet to charge his wheelchair.

Then, with a loud "bang," the door was kicked open.

A swarm of people rushed in from outside.

In the room, he was awake, while Zhang Lin was asleep.

His blanket had slipped off, leaving Zhang Lin exposed.

For the first time in Ji Min's long life, he experienced the feeling of being utterly unable to defend himself.

"Come here at once!" he grated through gritted teeth.

Housekeeper Chen snapped back to reality, suppressing a chuckle as he approached Ji Min's wheelchair.

Upon bending down, he noticed that the wheelchair was out of power.

Only then did he comprehend his employer's predicament.

Probably sensing the intense gaze of the onlookers, Zhang Lin finally stirred from his slumber.

Raising his head, he saw his mother and, not yet comprehending the situation, instinctively asked, "Where's Lu... Lu Ran?"

Just then, Butler Chen happened to push Ji Min past Zhang Lin's side.

Ji Min glanced down at Zhang Lin and then at Mrs. Zhang, who was holding him, and sneered, "Nice son you've raised."

His words coincidentally drowned out Zhang Lin's.

The wheelchair rolled out of the room and paused as it passed Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingran.

Ji Min looked at Shen Hongyuan and scoffed coldly, "Your son is quite something too."

The crowd in the corridor dispersed.

With Ji Min's departure, the farce finally came to an end.

However, almost instantly, scandalous gossip spread throughout the banquet!

Shocking! The heir of the Zhang family stripped to seduce the head of the Ji family!

Is it a new form of corporate warfare or a desperate struggle born from unrequited love?

The image of Zhang Lin dashing through the corridor wrapped in his mother's shawl was etched into everyone's minds.

As for Lu Ran, the mastermind behind it all...

He cleverly remained invisible.

The banquet concluded.

The Shen family was still reeling from the shocking revelation.

Lu Ran didn't return home just yet. Instead, he strolled outside with Big Yellow.

The night sky was clear, adorned with delicate wisps of clouds.

The stars sparkled brightly against the dark blue canvas, twinkling incessantly.

Lu Ran walked along with his dog at a leisurely pace.

After a few steps, he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. He squatted down, pounding the ground with laughter.

The expressions on Ji Min, Zhang Lin, and the Shen family members were truly intriguing.

Lu Ran never could have dreamed that the turn of events would unfold in such a manner.

He picked up Big Yellow beside him and affectionately kissed the dog's head several times, "Such a good big boy to Daddy!"

No sooner had he finished speaking.

A black sedan screeched to a halt beside Lu Ran.

The car door opened.

A bony, pale hand covered his mouth and nose, dragging both him and the dog into the vehicle.