Chapter 17: Clubbing

Lin Yi was a bit nervous, afraid that Mrs. Zhang might see his current state.

Shen Xingran, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief.

The fact that the Zhangs had come to visit Lin Yi now indicated their high regard for him.

If they found out that Lu Ran was responsible for this mess,

Lu Ran's future would surely be grim.

"Don't be afraid," Shen Xingran encouraged Lin Yi. "The worse you look, the more Mrs. Zhang will pity you, right?"

Lin Yi gave Shen Xingran a suspicious glance.

After a moment of hesitation, he still tidied himself up before opening the door for Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang was very warm and affectionate, immediately cupping Lin Yi's face as she entered. "Oh dear, look at that pale little face. Why are you hiding in here without going out to enjoy some sunlight?"

"I've been feeling a bit down lately," Lin Yi acknowledged, following Shen Xingran's cue.

"Exactly why you should go out more!" Mrs. Zhang pulled Lin Yi to sit beside her on the bed. Upon seeing Shen Xingran, she smiled and nodded in approval.

This lady didn't come across as your typical idle, wealthy housewife.

Rumor had it that Mrs. Zhang had worked in the Zhang family's company throughout her younger years, and her speech carried the air of a strong, no-nonsense businesswoman.

Standing by, Shen Xingran watched obediently as Mrs. Zhang showed concern for Lin Yi's well-being.

In his mind, he wondered why the Zhangs had chosen to form an alliance with the Lins.

The Lin family was a notch below the Zhangs in status.

Though this was his thought, Shen Xingran felt somewhat discontented. Yet, if push came to shove, he wouldn't be keen on a liaison with Zhang Lin either.

Despite being an only son, Zhang Lin was a spoiled brat, even less responsible than Shen Xingzhuo.

His mother was overly dominant.

After some contemplation, she disparaged the Zhang family's marriage thoroughly.

When Shen Xingran finally regained her senses, she sensed something amiss.

Mrs. Zhang persistently showed concern for Lin Yi, urging her to venture out more and visit the Zhangs.

They reminisced about Zhang Lin's childhood antics.

Yet, they avoided discussing Lin Yi's recent ordeal altogether.

Shen Xingran grew anxious, signaling to Lin Yi with a subtle glance.

Unfortunately, Lin Yi was carried away by Mrs. Zhang's conversation.

Left with no choice, Shen Xingran decided to speak up, "Aunt, Lin Yi has been reluctant to go out these past two days because he was bullied."

Shen Xingran spoke with a hint of embarrassment, lowering his head. "The one who bullied him is called Lu Ran. There's actually some connection between our families..."

Upon finishing his words, Shen Xingran received no immediate response.

He looked down to meet Mrs. Zhang's smiling face, yet her dark, profound eyes betrayed her true feelings.

A surge of joy flickered in Shen Xingran's heart.

Sure enough, the Zhang family held Lin Yi in high regard. Just by hearing the news, Mrs. Zhang was already visibly upset.

Thoughts swirled in Shen Xingran's mind, leaving him with a sour feeling.

What exactly did the Zhang family see in Lin Yi?

Just as he was about to elaborate on the situation, he noticed Mrs. Zhang looking at him, her smile still in place but her tone stern. "This talk of bullying is just children playing around."

Shen Xingran was taken aback.

A joke? What does that mean?

Shouldn't Mrs. Zhang be the one to confront Lu Ran and demand an explanation?

In her panic, Shen Xingran almost spilled the beans about Lu Ran pushing Lin Yi into the toilet.

Lin Yi was also getting anxious.

But Mrs. Zhang firmly interrupted them, "Enough!"

"There are no lasting grudges between friends," she said as she stroked Lin Yi's face with an unwavering tone. "Xiao Yi, go talk to your friend and clear the air. Everything will be fine once you've had a proper conversation."

Neither Shen Xingran nor Lin Yi had expected this outcome.

Why did it sound like Lin Yi was supposed to be the one apologizing to Lu Ran?

Lin Yi was in a daze, yet dared not refute Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang gave a few more instructions before rising to depart.

Before leaving, she cast a deliberate glance at Shen Xingran.

Could the incident that occurred at the club be concealed from these younger generations, let alone from their family like them?

But who knew if it was someone dissatisfied with her husband's arrangements, deliberately using this matter to send a warning to their Zhang family?

After all...

Later, that illegitimate son named Lu Ran appeared in another building.

He was personally welcomed by Ji Min's butler.

Wouldn't causing trouble for Lu Ran be equivalent to making things difficult for Ji Min?

Their Zhang family wasn't that foolish.

After leaving the Lin family's residence, Shen Xingran felt somewhat disoriented.

A mounting sense of loss of control made him unusually anxious.

Shen Xingzhuo couldn't be relied upon.

As for Lin Yi, the Zhang family was acting strangely towards her.

Was there truly no one who could rein in Lu Ran?

Shen Xingran felt that this situation was unacceptable.

Upon returning to the Shen residence, he specifically informed the cook and donned an apron before entering the kitchen.

He didn't exactly cook himself, but he did lend a helping hand in preparing a meal for Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen.

When Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen arrived home,

before they could head upstairs, Shen Xingran promptly linked arms with his mother. "Mom! I cooked a meal for you, all your favorite dishes!"

With that said, he pretended to be excited as he led Madam Shen towards the dining room.

Before they even stepped into the dining room, both Shen Hongyuan and his wife's faces froze.

"I'm sorry."

Now that they were here, they suddenly had no appetite.

Observing their expressions, even Shen Xingran secretly cursed their sensitivity in her heart.

How many days had it been? How many times had it been cleaned?

Nonetheless, this was perfect timing.

"Ranran, should we have it sent upstairs for us to eat?" Mrs. Shen patted Shen Xingran's hand with a stiff expression.

However, just as she finished speaking, the dishes were already laid out on the dining table.

Instantly, a look of discomfort appeared on both Shen Hongyuan and Mrs. Shen's faces.

Shen Xingran immediately put on an injured expression.

Gently caressing the red mark on his finger, he asked cautiously, "Mom, Dad, do you not want to eat? If you don't, then I'll..."

Seeing him like this, Madam Shen's heart ached immediately. "No, no, Mom didn't mean that. It's just that..."

Shen Xingran took the opportunity to pull both Madam Shen and Shen Hongyuan to sit on the sofa.

He expressed understanding. "I understand. It was my fault for not considering it properly. But..."

Madam Shen felt comforted by his words.

Her love and guilt towards Shen Xingran grew even more.

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Xingran spoke as if he could no longer hold back. "Mom, Dad, this is your home. Dad is the head of the family, how can things be allowed to become... You're being restrained at home while the... culprit gets away scot-free?"

These words hit Shen Hongyuan where it hurt.

Shen Hongyuan's face darkened instantly, and Madam Shen's expression also became grim.

Shen Xingran nervously fiddled with his fingers as he spoke, exaggerating the situation slightly.

"In your absence, he even attempted to take the dog upstairs. This can't go on..."

Mrs. Shen pondered for a moment before patting Shen Xingran's hand. "You're right. This can't continue. He needs a lesson."

Lu Ran had no idea what Shen Xingran had been up to all day.

He quit his job at the breakfast shop but took on a few other part-time jobs.

In this second life, Lu Ran relished the sensation of working hard and living a grounded existence.

Upon returning to the Shen residence, the villa was eerily quiet, seemingly unchanged from usual.

After wiping Big Yellow's paws and feeding him some kibble, Lu Ran cleaned up and fell asleep on the bed.

Just as he was drifting off, there came a sudden, deafening knock on his door.

Annoyed, Lu Ran got up to answer it. He expected it to be Shen Xingzhuo returning late at night, but to his surprise, it was a servant from the Shen family.

"What is it?" Lu Ran inquired.

The butler rapped loudly on the door, but upon seeing Lu Ran, seemed somewhat cowed.

Lowering their voice involuntarily, they said, "Young Master Lu, Madam has trouble sleeping and tends to wake up easily at night. Please refrain from making any noise during the evening."

"I'm sleeping. What kind of noise could I make?" Lu Ran asked.

The butler felt a bit awkward but persisted in explaining, "Your footsteps and even the sound of you turning in your sleep can be heard."

Lu Ran cast him a glance and shut the door with a thud, returning to his sleep.

He nestled under the covers, on the verge of dozing off when the door was knocked on once more.

Lu Ran opened his eyes silently while lying in bed.

There was no trace of anger for being disturbed in his dark eyes, only an eerie calmness like still water.

He threw back the covers and got out of bed.

Opening the door, he found a different servant standing outside.

"Is there something else?" Lu Ran inquired.

The servant replied, "Madam has been startled awake again. Please, Young Master Lu, be a bit quieter."

Lu Ran felt a hint of amusement.

He suddenly recalled a similar incident from his previous life.

During that period, Madam Shen had been experiencing some sort of nervousness, always hearing sounds coming from downstairs.

Whenever she woke up at night, she believed it was him making noise.

Ironically, Lu Ran had taken her concerns seriously.

He assumed it was due to his overly large movements or accidental noises he made while sleeping.

From then on, he carefully softened every action he took.

He moved about on tiptoe, not daring to even turn over in his sleep at night.

Yet, Madam Shen still felt that he made noise.

Eventually, she lost her temper and screamed at him, forcing him to move from the first floor, where the servants resided, to the warehouse in the villa's yard.

Now that he thought back on it, he was on the first floor while Madam Shen was on the second. How could he have disturbed her?

Moreover, he had even softened his breathing towards the end, yet he still managed to bother Madam Shen.

Either she found him displeasing to the eye, blaming every inconvenience on him,

Or she had planned from the start to drive him out to live in the yard.

Lu Ran looked at the servant standing outside the door without saying much, indicating that he understood.

He decided not to sleep tonight; instead, he would finish writing his thesis.

He also made a note of the servant's knocking rhythm and variations in intensity.

The following day, Lu Ran borrowed a portable speaker from a classmate and went to purchase a rubber massage mallet.

Upon returning home, after many days, Madam Shen was finally seated once more on the living room sofa, engaged in lighthearted conversation with Shen Xingran.

Both of them couldn't help but revel in the evident exhaustion around Lu Ran's eyes, as if they had gained the upper hand in some silent competition.

Silent, Lu Ran lowered his head and slunk back to his room dejectedly.

Madam Shen shot Shen Xingran a sly glance. "See? He needs a lesson to behave properly."

Shen Xingran feigned concern, interceding, "Mom... Maybe we should just let it go?"

Madam Shen promptly waved for the maid. "Continue tonight, but be cautious during the latter half of the night. Don't disturb those on the second and third floors."

That evening, not long after Lu Ran had switched off the lights in his room,

there came another knock at his door, accompanied by the same suggestion from the previous life: that he move to the villa in the yard.

Lu Ran pretended to be driven to distraction by the nuisance.

Closing the door, he waited patiently.

By the wee hours of the night, even the servant knocked on his door with a subconscious gentleness.

When both the second and third floors of the villa were deep in slumber,

Lu Ran unlocked his door and inserted the memory card into the portable speaker, which had been charging all day.

The entire villa was eerily quiet, immersed in darkness.

Suddenly, a blast erupted:

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Da Dang! Da Dang!"

"Endless love is in the vast horizon~"

With the speaker in hand, Lu Ran dashed upstairs, racing to Madam Shen's bedroom door where he frenziedly pounded on it with a massage mallet.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Thump, thump, thump!"

"You are the most beautiful cloud in my sky~"

Not long after they had dozed off, Mrs. Shen and Shen Hongyuan rushed out with their hair in complete disarray, resembling bird's nests.