Chapter 60: Dragging and Trampling

So short and small.

Even Zero found it disdainful.

The banquet hall fell silent.

The orchestra played Beethoven's Ode to Joy, its melody joyful and melodious.

Jing Hongyuan's voice still echoed at the entrance as he greeted the guests, and laughter could be heard from the courtyard.

But!

None of that could drown out the words "so short and small" ringing in everyone's ears.

Heavens!

What kind of lewd phrase was that?

Someone actually dared to say such a thing in public?

No, wait!

Could it be that Gu Ningqi was truly that insignificant?

So insignificant that the neglected Lu Ran wouldn't even bother sparing him face, hastily rejecting the Gu family's marriage proposal.

It was said that he saw it happen in the restroom.

Seemed quite plausible!

Such a statement was far too blunt.

High and mighty aristocratic families would never encounter something like this in such a formal setting.

Yet, the moment they heard it, everyone couldn't help but be intrigued.

Too bad Gu Ningqi had been holding onto that enormous gift box the entire time.

Completely concealed.

For a moment, Gu Ningqi didn't quite grasp the situation.

He instinctively replied, "I know that, I wasn't asking you about this!"

It took a moment for his brain to process what Lu Ran had said.

Suddenly, he bit his tongue.

In an instant, he almost felt as if his soul had left his body, doubting if he had misunderstood Lu Ran's words at all.

What was small?

Small about what?

By the time Gu Ningqi regained his composure, his cheeks flushed abruptly.

He felt as if everyone around him was scrutinizing him with X-ray vision.

Gu Ningqi had never been more embarrassed in his life.

His words stumbled as he replied, "Huh? What did you say? Who's small? How dare you make such baseless accusations?"

Lu Ran caught on to his reaction immediately.

It seemed that it was indeed not that substantial.

He pretended to sigh dramatically and complained, "I didn't want to bring this up, but who asked you to come directly to me? You forced my hand!"

As he spoke, he cast a glance at Gu Ningqi filled with sympathy and pity.

"I only took a quick glance in the bathroom, and I didn't expect..."

Lu Ran patted his chest in relief. "Thankfully, I took a look."

His expression was so woeful that almost everyone around them was convinced.

Gu Ningqi was virtually exploding. "Don't spout nonsense! What proof do you have? You only caught a glimpse from afar!"

Lu Ran pointed at him leisurely. "Isn't the evidence right there in your pants? If you've got the guts, show it."

Ningqi's blood rushed to his head. "Fine, I will! I—"

With that, he threw the gift box he'd been holding onto onto the floor with a slap.

His fingers even touched the buckle of his belt.

The chill made him snap back to reality.

He looked at the gift box that had landed on the ground.

Then, he slowly turned his gaze downward, toward his crotch.

There… was still an unclear wet stain from the toilet.

A large one.

At first glance, it seemed as if he couldn't hold his urine and had wet his pants.

The gift box hit the ground, its lid opening to reveal emptiness inside.

Everyone looked at the box on the floor and then at Gu Ningqi's pants.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

Damn, so he had been holding that box all along to hide his wet pants?

Wait, how did they get wet in the first place?

Moreover, from the looks of it, the situation didn't seem to be under control, did it?

Gu Ningqi lifted his gaze only to find everyone staring at him as if he were an idiot.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, making him feel as if he was streaking in public.

In that instant, Gu Ningqi blushed even more intensely.

All traces of the pretended heir demeanor vanished, revealing a young and inexperienced boy's awkwardness.

Lu Ran continued to sigh, urging, "What's with you? I was just joking. Why did you take it so seriously?"

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

So easily offended... It was obvious he was telling the truth.

"Y-You! You have no shame!" Gu Ningqi shouted, his fingers trembling in the air.

Shen Xingran was utterly stunned.

He never expected that his meticulously planned scenario would end up like this.

But he couldn't let Gu Ningqi be perceived as incompetent.

Otherwise, how would others view him in the future?

With his intelligence still intact, Shen Xingran couldn't afford to care about anything else. He promptly responded, "You say you saw it, but what if you're lying?"

Lu Ran gave him a warm smile, eagerly awaiting this response, "Of course I have evidence."

Shen Xingran's heart skipped a beat, "W-What evidence?"

Lu Ran took out his phone and tapped on a photo, "Take a look for yourselves."

The moment Gu Ningqi saw Lu Ran's action, he knew something was amiss.

Everyone leaned in to examine the phone screen.

There, they saw Gu Ningqi lying awkwardly inside a toilet stall.

This photo had been taken from behind and to the side of him.

From this angle, it seemed as if Gu Ningqi was sticking his head into the toilet to eat.

Or perhaps, as if he was kissing the steps outside the stall.

In any case, the image did not portray a flattering scene.

Everyone present was glued to Lu Ran's phone screen, their hearts thunderstruck.

Who would have thought that the esteemed heir of the Gu family had such an interest behind closed doors?

At the sight of the photo, Shen Xingran's scalp tingled.

If it were someone else, they might have assumed that Gu Ningqi had accidentally stumbled and Lu Ran opportunistically captured the moment.

But Shen Xingran was different.

He knew Lu Ran's tactics!

From this picture alone, he could tell with absolute certainty that it was Lu Ran's doing.

In that instant, Shen Xingran felt a bit lost.

Suddenly, he wasn't sure what he had been busy with all this time.

He had been deliberately teasing Gu Ningqi, using the tactic of 'letting go to catch', trying to sustain Gu Ningqi's interest in him.

He disseminated the news of the Gu and Shen families' alliance and Ningqi's return for him. All these efforts were made solely to ensure that the marriage contract with the Gu family would be secured for himself.

He was also cautiously guarding against and on his guard against Lu Ran.

But while he was doing all this, what was his rival Lu Ran up to?

He had pushed the very Ningqi that Shen Xingran was desperately trying to cling onto into a toilet stall.

In that moment, Shen Xingran felt nothing but regret.

How could he have not realized that Lu Ran was a madman!

The sounds from the main hall of the banquet echoed outside the door.

It was a chaotic mess.

A servant glanced at Shen Hongyuan questioningly. "Should... should we intervene?"

Shen Hongyuan waved his hand dismissively. "Let him make a scene."

The tone wasn't one of resignation or indulgence.

It held a tinge of grim satisfaction in seeing a wish fulfilled.

Let him make a scene.

He was just biding his time for the other party to lose control.

Chen Sheng and a few acquaintances approached.

Lu Ran finally spared Gu Ningqi from the humiliation of publicly stripping to prove himself.

Gu Ningqi hastily took a shower and changed before reappearing at the party.

But as he mingled, he couldn't shake off the feeling that everyone around him was looking at him with peculiar eyes.

They would glance at his pants, then at his face.

Shen Xingran followed behind Gu Ningqi, his temples throbbing.

He even felt a bit of sympathy for Gu Ningqi.

Sure, they had both been put through the wringer by Lu Ran...

But Gu Ningqi's situation was worse.

Because he had been publicly humiliated!

At that moment, someone they knew approached to greet them.

Looking at Shen Xingran and Gu Ningqi, the person said, "Both of you... Are you back to discuss your wedding plans this time?"

Unlike the usual envious gaze, Shen Xingran sensed a hint of... pity in this person's eyes as they looked at him and Gu Ningqi.

Shen Xingran immediately felt uneasy.

This person was quite acquainted with Shen Xingran.

After walking together for a while, they deliberately pulled Shen Xingran back by half a step and whispered in his ear:

"In fact, size doesn't really matter, as long as you're skilled."

Shen Xingran: "..."

The person felt a bit awkward after saying that, as if they had just blurted out nonsense.

Being too small wouldn't work even if one was skilled, though.

They quickly added, "If it really doesn't work out... you can always switch positions..."

Shen Xingran's expression changed several times.

He had always been the center of attention all his life; when had he ever heard such words or received such looks?

Unable to hold back, he instinctively said, "Actually... the engagement hasn't been officially set..."

Upon finishing his sentence, he realized something was amiss.

He had initially intended to humiliate Lu Ran by using Gu Ningqi.

Now that Lu Ran had made a scene, the whole world knew that Gu Ningqi was inadequate.

Even if they were to get married in the future, others wouldn't think that he had entered the Gu family; instead, they would speculate... that Gu Ningqi was incompetent.

Shen Xingran felt stifled, unable to decide whether to react or not.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, didn't care about such matters.

He was currently showing Chen Sheng and the others around his room.

"You're... living here?"

Chen Sheng and the others gasped in awe as they looked at the tiny servant's quarters.

Forget about a separate living room, there wasn't even an en suite bathroom.

Lu Ran leaned against the door frame and shot him a glance. "You don't understand. Living on the first floor has nothing to do with the second or third."

"When I want some fun, I can hide the speakers upstairs. They'll be too dazed by the bass, while I can sleep soundly on the first floor. Isn't that nice?"

Chen Sheng: "..."

Their daily lives were like guerrilla warfare.

Chen Sheng wanted to say something but, looking up at Lu Ran, he found himself at a loss for words.

Lu Ran was truly breathtaking today.

Even though they had witnessed firsthand how he could pin someone down in a toilet.

Now, when meeting Lu Ran's gaze, Chen Sheng and the others still felt a bit uneasy looking straight into his eyes.

Chen Sheng had also brought along his young cousin that day.

This young cousin had usually only heard about Lu Ran's feats and was rather unconvinced, claiming that if he were in Lu Ran's shoes, he wouldn't be afraid at all.

But now, this person was lowering his head, looking like a quail.

As Chen Sheng left Lu Ran's room, the boy tugged at him.

Looking down, Chen Sheng saw that his cousin glanced at Lu Ran, then blushed and lowered his head, saying to Chen Sheng,

"Brother, how can you just badmouth people? How could Brother Ran do something like what you said?"

Saying that, he even turned back to glance at the narrow servant's quarters, his eyes almost reddening.

"Brother Ran is so pitiful, always being bullied by others."

Chen Sheng: "..."

You've just never seen him using a toilet brush to stab someone.

Gu Ningqi made a roundabout and eventually ended up in the card room.

He had initially intended to leave directly.

But he couldn't. He had to hold on; only then would there be a chance for him to retaliate.

If he couldn't hold on, everyone at the banquet would remember him as the one with a shortcoming and who had crawled into the toilet.

If this matter reached his grandfather's ears...

His status as the heir was as good as over.

The guests in the card room were those of high standing who disliked commotion. As of now, they had yet to hear the "rumors" outside.

The conversations within were still on serious topics.

This slightly relieved Gu Ningqi.

The guests in the card room were of a different caliber than those outside, and they were better informed.

They acknowledged Ningqi with a mere nod, polite but not overly friendly.

To them, no matter how prominent Gu Ningqi had become, he was still a junior.

Besides, the situation with the Gu family was far from certain.

Someone brought up the main topic of the evening's gathering:

"It's really something how the Shen family waited fifteen years before making a move, only to rush to reclaim their kin now."

"You don't understand this."

The speaker held some sway in the business circle. Without delving into details, they merely advised, "Let me give you a word of caution: be respectful towards that young Master Shen who was recently acknowledged by the family."

"Why should I? Isn't he just a teenager?"

Someone probed further, but the man with the cigar in his mouth chose to remain silent.

His silence agitated someone else who blurted out,

"I heard that this young master was seen tagging along with someone from the Ji family that day?"

"Who? Could it be Ji Min?"

This statement sparked a wave of gossip.

The rumor-mongers painted a vivid picture:

"He was sitting in his wheelchair, holding that child, with a blanket covering them both completely..."

After listening for a while, Gu Ningqi finally grasped the situation.

No wonder Lu Ran had looked down on him and spread rumors about his incapability.

It turned out he had become involved with Ji Min?

Feeling disgruntled after being toyed with by Lu Ran, Gu Ningqi found it hard to tolerate Ji Min, who didn't quite sit well with him either.

The Gu and Ji families had a close relationship, even intertwined by marriage ties.

Strictly speaking, Ningqi and Ji Min were of the same generation.

Yet, while Ji Min had long taken the helm as the head of the Ji family, overseeing a vast conglomerate with absolute authority, Ningqi was still just a successor-in-training, being evaluated for the role.

Grandpa Gu was immensely pleased with Ji Min, often singing his praises in their ears.

Ningqi had essentially grown up in Ji Min's shadow.

Upon hearing the conversation, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of malice:

"Ji Min? He really knows how to pick. Can a cripple like Ji Min manage?"

Manage what, and in which aspects?

The men in the card room immediately understood the implicit meaning.

Ever since Ji Min became disabled, rumors about him never ceased.

With hardly anyone constantly by his side, it was inevitable that people would harbor malicious speculations.

Ji Min's methods and demeanor were cold and relentless.

Those who received his aid genuinely admired him, but those who disliked him truly held a deep disdain for him.

Spotting someone initiating a topic, others eagerly chimed in:

"With his legs disabled, there's no other choice."

"In all honesty, he can hardly be considered a man in this state; it's understandable that his temper is short."

Lu Ran led Chen Sheng and the others to an adjacent arcade.

They happened to pass by a card room.

The scattered, mocking laughter within the room echoed clearly to their ears.

Lu Ran halted in his tracks, staring at the door before him.

He had heard it – the laughter inside was directed at Ji Min.

For some inexplicable reason, in that instant,

Lu Ran suddenly recalled the image of the man in the wheelchair stretching his arm to reach a folder on a cabinet's top shelf.

His expression was cold, devoid of any embarrassment or the fury that came with being mocked.

Behind such unwavering composure, one could only imagine the multitude of ridicules he had endured.

All because of a car accident, all because he ended up in a wheelchair.

So when people mentioned him, their first thought was no longer his remarkable abilities.

Instead, it was these messy and trivial matters.

Chen Sheng and the others had already made their way to the arcade.

Seeing that Lu Ran hadn't followed, Ningqi poked his head out and called, "Brother Ran, what are you doing there?"

Lu Ran turned to look at him, his hand on the doorknob of the game room.

He smiled at Chen Sheng and said, "You guys carry on playing. My work is here."

With that, he pushed open the door and entered the game room.

Outside the villa, Shen Hongyuan had finally waited for the person he was looking for.

The extended limousine slowly pulled up.

All eyes at the party instinctively turned towards it, followed by a flurry of whispers and astonishment.

Today...

Both the Gu and Ji families had actually shown up?

Gu Ningqi was there for Shen Xingran.

In the case of the Ji family...

As the car door slid open, the wheelchair descended from the ramp for the disabled.

Everyone's astonishment heightened.

It was Ji Min himself who had arrived!

Shen Hongyuan hurried to greet him, "Mr. Ji, you're finally here. Please...

He instinctively reached out to push Ji Min's wheelchair.

But Ji Min stopped him with a glance.

Ji Min glanced at him and then looked behind Shen Hongyuan.

There was no one there.

Shen Hongyuan awkwardly withdrew his hand, instantly realizing whom Ji Min was searching for. He smiled affectionately and said, "Children have short attention spans. He couldn't stay outside, so I let him in."

Ji Min retracted his gaze, leaning back on the wheelchair with a light "huh." There was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice.

The butler Chen, standing behind him, couldn't hold back and let out a chuckle.

Shen Hongyuan didn't understand what the two were laughing about.

He could only join in with a smile, leading them inside.

Ji Min's face was as cold as ice, with his fingers gripping the wheelchair remote control with subtle force.

He had rushed over right after the board meeting ended.

He was waiting to confront someone and demand an explanation.

He wanted to properly question that certain youngster about what nonsense they had been spreading in the office.

Do you still want your salary?

After entering, he scanned the room but didn't spot Lu Ran.

He glanced again.

There, in a corner, was Shen Family's adopted son with a rigid expression.

A few others also wore wounded looks on their faces.

Housekeeper Chen whispered behind him, "It seems that even if you hadn't come, Xiao Ran wouldn't have tolerated being wronged."

Ji Min snorted coldly, emphasizing, "I'm here to demand an explanation."

Housekeeper Chen merely smiled without comment.

Someone, unknown, urged the driver to speed up on the road, fearing they were already late.

Having finished his inquiry with the attendant, Shen Hongyuan approached and said, "Xiao Ran is in the card room."

Shen Hongyuan then led Ji Min towards the card room.

The card room was on the second floor, but given Ji Min's wheelchair, it was inconvenient for him to navigate the stairs. They had to circle around to take the elevator at the back.

The area surrounding the elevator was relatively secluded.

Quite a few people were huddled in the corridors, engaging in secretive conversations.

"It's unbelievable, who could have predicted he'd say that?"

"Did you see the look on Gu Ningqi's face? It turned alternately red and pale in an instant."

"So it's true, then?"

"And when he reached out, he effortlessly pulled off the other person's wig."

"The guy didn't say a word, just covered his head and ran away."

Ji Min listened all the way through.

He suspected, with reasonable grounds, that someone was behind this.

As Shen Hongyuan listened, he apologized guiltily, "The child just has a mischievous personality."

Ji Min glanced at him but remained silent.

Shen Hongyuan immediately lowered his gaze.

A hint of calculation flickered in his eyes.

Shen Hongyuan cared greatly about his reputation and detested any scandal occurring during events held at his residence.

Yet today, someone had dared to challenge Lu Ran at his own party, and he had indirectly allowed it.

Even Gu Ningqi's presence was by his deliberate invitation.

Shen Hongyuan's gaze turned distant.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Lu Ran to become associated with Ji Min.

If it had been Shen Xingran, Shen Hongyuan would have joyously celebrated and escorted the young man himself.

Failing that, either of his sons, Shen Xingyu or Shen Xingzhuo, would have sufficed.

Yet, why was it Lu Ran?

With Lu Ran being so close to Ji Min, matters could easily spiral out of control – a scenario that was far from what Shen Hongyuan wished to witness.

Yet, he wasn't overly concerned.

After all, Mr. Ji must have been captivated by Lu Ran's appearance and was unaware of how outrageous he could be when he lost his cool.

Let the rumored etiquette-conscious and slightly obsessive-compulsive CEO Ji witness it for himself.

Perhaps then, he would lose interest in that madman.

Thus, Shen Hongyuan had specially invited Gu Ningqi.

He knew that neither Shen Xingran nor Gu Ningqi would let the matter rest, and they would certainly confront Lu Ran.

What he desired was for someone to provoke Lu Ran to the point of madness.

Best to be so thoroughly mad that Ji Min would take one look and steer clear at once!

Exiting the elevator.

Approaching the card room, I was met with a dense cluster of heads crowding just outside its entrance.

The youthful voice, clear yet audacious, rang out:

"You're the one who said others can't cut it? How dare you, with your own short and tiny asset, criticize someone else?"

Shen Hongyuan's spirit stirred.

Here it comes!

He was starting to lose his cool!

It was time for Ji Min to witness Lu Ran's true nature!

Shen Hongyuan pretended to be flustered as he hurriedly pushed his way through the crowd, even shielding Ji Min from those blocking their path.

All so that Ji Min could have a clear view of the scene!

The moment Ji Min arrived, he sensed something amiss.

Every person gathered outside the card room was giving him peculiar glances.

This gaze was incredibly familiar, almost to the point of being intimate.

Ji Min startled, lifting his gaze to look towards the card room.

The door to the card room stood ajar.

Just then, he caught sight of the youth's profile.

He was dressed in a custom-made dark golden ensemble, with his chin lifted and his nose slightly creased.

A hint of wilful extravagance was revealed in his demeanor.

With an elegant yet proud air, he said, "Hmph, Ji Min is incredibly skilled. One session a night, and it lasts all night long, do you understand?"

Then, he pointed at Gu Ningqi and added,

"You still have the nerve to talk about him? Do you know the difference between enoki mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms?"

"He's even bigger than a king oyster mushroom. As for you? You're not even as long as an enoki mushroom!"