Chapter 14: A Wet Duck

Chen Sheng's mouth gaped wide open in an "O" shape.

All those present were children of wealthy families; they had never witnessed such a scene before.

One by one, they froze, their eyes bulging in disbelief.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" The lackey struggled wildly.

Lu Ran had done his fair share of manual labor, despite his slender frame. These spoiled brats were no match for him.

As he twirled the toilet brush, he asked, "Is your mouth clean yet? Since you don't want to eat, how about we change your food in the future?"

Tears streamed down the lackey's face as he wriggled desperately on the ground.

The surrounding crowd retreated, not a single one daring to intervene.

So stunned were they that not even one thought to capture the moment on video.

As the underling ceased his struggles, Lu Ran pressed him down and asked, "Still dare to smash my plate?"

The underling tried his best to shake his head.

"Wasting food? Smashing my bag?"

For each question Lu Ran asked, he thrust the toilet brush deeper.

By the time the underling was too weak to even shake his head, he could only groan on the floor.

Only then did Lu Ran withdraw the toilet brush.

Chen Sheng and Shen Xingzhuo trembled on the couch.

Chen Sheng struggled to swallow and said, "Bro... Bro Zuo, is Brother Lu really that fierce?"

Shen Xingzhuo had no desire to speak.

Lu Ran flicked the toilet brush and turned to the other troublemaker.

Lin Yi's foot was still stepping on Lu Ran's experiment report.

Upon meeting Lu Ran's gaze, she hastily withdrew her foot.

After retracting his foot, he felt it was rather embarrassing and, glancing at the toilet brush in Lu Ran's hand, he asked with his neck stiff, "What do you want?"

The onlookers finally reacted and gathered around.

Lin Yi was different from that previous sycophant.

After all, she was now affiliated with the Zhang family.

"Never mind, never mind."

"It was all just a misunderstanding, let's just drop it."

Lu Ran sneered.

He pointed the brush at the person who had just spoken, "You say it's over now, but why didn't you speak up when he was making things difficult for me?"

The bristles of the toilet brush still clung with the dog's saliva.

The one who was pointed at hastily took a step back.

Someone went to pull Shen Xingzhuo. "Brother Zhuo, say something too."

Shen Xingzhuo ignored him. "Why are you pulling me? If you've got guts, go pull him."

That person: "...."

Alright, he didn't have the guts.

Lin Yi, looking at what was in Lu Ran's hand, was terrified inside, but she still tried her best to maintain her composure on the surface.

Just as everyone was about to persuade again, they saw Lu Ran let go.

With a 'slap', the dirty toilet brush landed on the ground.

Seeing this, everyone sighed in relief, thinking that Lu Ran wasn't as oblivious as they thought.

"Alright, alright, we're all brothers here."

"It was just a minor disagreement."

Chen Sheng also considered stepping in to mediate.

But before he did, he glanced at Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo remained crouched on the sofa, motionless.

After some hesitation, Chen Sheng decided against intervention.

Seeing that Lu Ran was no longer armed, Lin Yi relaxed significantly.

He chuckled mockingly, "Do you really think I'm as easy to push around as that guy on the floor?"

Just as everyone let their guard down, assuming the incident was over,

Lu Ran suddenly reached out, grabbed Lin Yi's collar, and pulled him off balance.

In the blink of an eye, no one had time to react as Lu Ran pulled Lin Yi along, dragging her out of the private room.

"You're not treated the same as that person on the floor, I've reserved a bigger space for you."

"Let go of me!" Lin Yi struggled urgently.

To her surprise, despite Lu Ran's slender appearance, his grip was surprisingly strong, making it difficult for her to break free.

Outside the private room, people were constantly coming and going.

Upon seeing Lin Yi being carried out, they were all startled.

Lu Ran ignored everyone.

The restroom was right next to the private room.

With a swift kick, Lu Ran burst through the restroom door, dragging Lin Yi inside.

Inside, the cleaner was in the midst of tidying up.

It should have been cleaned up already, but Lu Ran had snatched her brush away in the middle of it.

"Wh-What are you doing?!"

Lin Yi screamed.

Lu Ran didn't say a word. He found the dirtiest squat toilet and pulled Lin Yi's hair, forcing her face down into it.

"Ahh!"

Lin Yi's scream echoed throughout the area.

The cleaner auntie, hiding nearby, was stunned. Her mop dropped with a thud to the ground.

The others who had followed Lu Ran into the bathroom were crowded at the entrance, witnessing this scene unfold before their eyes. This was even more shocking than having a toilet brush stuck in one's mouth.

A crowd gathered at the entrance of the restroom, yet not a single person dared to step in.

There, Lu Ran stood inside one of the stalls.

Despite his explosive actions, not a hint of anger or smugness could be detected on his face; his dark eyes were as calm as an ancient well.

Water gushed wildly, drenching Lin Yi's hair and clothes entirely.

Water even filled her nose and mouth.

The once arrogant young master of the Lin family now resembled a soaked chicken covered in excrement.

Lu Ran didn't release his foot.

He reached out, grabbed a handful of Lin Yi's hair, and pulled her up, "Have you learned your lesson?"

"Wuu wuu wuu wuu." Lin Yi was too busy crying.

In his entire life, this was the first time he had been treated in such a manner.

It seemed that Lu Ran found Lin Yi's appearance quite appealing.

He even took out his phone and snapped a picture of her.

Only then did Lin Yi realize what was happening, and she shook her head frantically. "N-No...!"

"Stay away from me in the future, got it?"

Lu Ran spoke calmly, without any hint of a threat.

But coupled with his actions, Lin Yi automatically imagined all sorts of dire consequences.

Her mind was buzzing as she hastily nodded.

Only then did Lu Ran pull Lin Yi out of the stall.

The crowd standing by the door finally caught sight of her pitiful state.

Not only was her upper body completely drenched, but there were suspicious stains on her nose and forehead, areas that had come into close contact with the toilet bowl.

It was an utterly horrifying sight...

He tossed Lin Yi aside.

Lu Ran not only remained unfazed; he even strolled over to the washbasin nearby and methodically washed his hands with soap.

He dispensed two pumps of hand sanitizer and diligently followed the seven-step handwashing technique to cleanse his hands thoroughly. Only then did he make his way out of the restroom.

Upon seeing him approach, those blocking the entrance scattered as if they had seen a plague.

Chen Sheng trembled in the crowd, too scared to even peek out, fearing that he might be next.

Back in the private room, Lu Ran gathered his belongings and left without bothering about anyone else.

After taking a few steps, he realized that he had only washed his hands and face—his clothes were still stained with food residue.

Checking his bag, he found no tissues.

Lu Ran wasn't that foolish to return to the private room or the adjacent restroom now.

After all, Lin Yi and the others were in a larger group. By the time they realized what was happening, Lu Ran wouldn't be able to fend them off alone.

In a real fight, Shen Xingzhuo couldn't be relied upon either.

Scanning his surroundings, Lu Ran spotted a fire exit and decided to head upstairs to the restroom.

Pushing the door open, he began ascending the stairs slowly.

The staircase seemed unusually long, with an empty corridor in the middle.

After the hustle and bustle, Lu Ran felt somewhat exhausted.

He walked in intervals, stopping occasionally.

As he pushed through another door, he unexpectedly came across a familiar face.

It was the middle-aged butler he had encountered in the car last time, engaged in conversation with a security guard. Upon hearing the sound of the door, the butler turned around and also froze for two seconds upon seeing Lu Ran.

"Ah?" Lu Ran sounded surprised.

He glanced at the butler and then at the security guard across from him, realization dawning upon him. "Oh, I was looking for the restroom but seems like I've wandered into the wrong place. My apologies."

As he turned around to retreat a few steps, he met the butler's gaze and smiled again. "Uncle, thank you again for last time."

Both of Lu Ran's sleeves were wet, along with a large area on the front of his shirt. His pants and shoes were also stained with bits of food.

A backpack adorned with two footprint prints hung from his shoulders, and his freshly washed bangs and hair tips were still dripping with water.

The elderly butler was unaware of Lu Ran's recent triumph.

From this glance, he appeared to be a pitiful soul who had suffered greatly.

The butler was well-versed in the "games" among wealthy young men.

He naturally inferred what Lu Ran must have gone through.

Noticing that he had already turned and descended two steps, the butler stopped him again and said, "Young man, there's a restroom this way."

His tone was identical to the last time we met, remaining gentle and amiable, carrying the indulgence of a senior.

Lu Ran lifted his gaze to meet the old butler's eyes.

Despite having met only once, he actually had quite a liking for this butler.

This was because the butler gave Lu Ran a feeling reminiscent of the former Director Lu.

It exuded a warm and embracing gentleness that made one feel as if they were submerged in tepid water.

There was none of the controlling or oppressive presence one would expect from elders.

Following the pull, Lu Ran ascended.

He guessed that this should be the other tower of the Twin Towers.

After some thought, Lu Ran proactively took off his backpack and handed it over to the security guard standing by for inspection.

The butler chuckled and held back his hand. "There's no need for that."

He pointed at the door frame beside them, and Lu Ran realized it was a security system.

"Follow me, young man," the butler led the way.

It was Lu Ran's first time in such a place.

Following behind the butler, he tried his best to suppress his curiosity, yet still couldn't help glancing around.

In his previous life, he had been lying in a hospital bed at the age of twenty, not even having celebrated his twenty-first birthday.

For over a decade, he had been confined to a cramped hospital room that could drive anyone mad.

Thus, Lu Ran would occasionally exhibit curiosity befitting his age.

The hallway was quiet, and every now and then, they would catch sight of a security guard standing at a corner.

Aside from them, no other people were visible.

Perhaps it was because the elder's presence ahead made him feel at ease, Lu Ran, having just concluded a "major battle," relaxed his nerves.

He couldn't resist asking, "Is it okay for you to bring me in?"

The butler turned his head and smiled at him, seemingly inquiring about the reason behind his question.

Lu Ran continued, "It's just... don't you have an owner?" He paused, realizing the term was impolite, and corrected himself, "I mean... should I say boss?"

"What if he gets angry?" Lu Ran asked.

A hint of amusement flickered in the butler's eyes upon hearing this.

"You were allowed in the car last time, which means he has given his consent. Sir does have a terrible temper, but he doesn't lose his temper without reason."

Lu Ran: "..."

He fell silent for a moment before whispering, "There are cameras everywhere here. Won't he hear you saying that?"

The butler chuckled at Lu Ran's cautiousness.

At the end of the corridor was a public restroom. He pointed at it and softly reminded Lu Ran, "The red button by the sink is for warm water. There are unwrapped towels in the cabinet against the wall, and there's a hairdryer in front of the mirror."

Lu Ran nodded.

Silence enveloped them, with unfamiliarity all around.

As he reached out to touch the cool metal doorknob, he couldn't help but look back at the butler.

His dark eyes held a hint of affectionate reliance on the elder.

Assuming the butler had more to attend to, he leaned forward respectfully and inquired, "May I assist you with anything?"

Lu Ran shook his head and proceeded to push the door open himself.

Once the bathroom door automatically closed behind him, he exhaled softly and reached up to remove his backpack.

The restroom was spacious and immaculate.

Its overall layout formed a gentle arc, with a corridor encircling the individual stalls.

The vanity was somewhat tall, making it inconvenient to manage his attire properly.

Lu Ran bent down to start taking off his clothes.

Just as he unfastened the button of his jeans, a soft creak echoed nearby.

A black electric wheelchair rolled slowly from the curved corridor on the other end.

Lu Ran froze, lifting his gaze.

He found himself unexpectedly locking eyes with a pair of gloomy and lifeless black orbs.