Chapter 6: Aftermath

In the Shen family, from the patriarch's humble beginnings to the present day, several decades have passed.

Though not among the elite aristocratic clans, they could still be considered a prestigious family, enjoying a life of nobility for half a century.

Yet that night became the most explosive, absurd, unforgettable, and indescribable evening in the history of the Shen family.

It was said that on that fateful night, the sound of running water echoed in every bathroom of the Shen residence until the wee hours of the morning. Ambulances were heard arriving, transporting Shen Hongyuan, who had spent the dinner lambasting everyone instead of relieving stress, to the hospital with hypertension.

Reportedly, as he was being helped into the ambulance, Shen Hongyuan was still shouting, "Bath! Bath! I need a bath!"

The next day, Mrs. Shen had scheduled a beauty treatment with her girlfriends.

However, when the ambulance arrived, she hurriedly fled the living room as if escaping something, dashing past the dining area and rushing towards the ambulance as if her life depended on it. She seemed unwilling to spend even a second longer in the villa.

A neighbor passing by the Shen mansion witnessed this scene and mistakenly assumed that the head of the Shen family was suffering from an incurable illness, sympathetically remarking on the unwavering bond between the Shen couple.

On the third floor, Shen Xingran spent the entire night with his face buried in his hands, utterly distraught.

Today, he had sat rather close to Shen Xingzhuo.

When Lu Ran threw away that garbage bag, its contents had exploded everywhere.

His hair, his face, his clothes...

Despite having bathed five times, he could still faintly detect the lingering... stench on his body.

He has a class reunion scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Those in attendance were all wealthy or influential peers from the same circle.

In his current state...

For the first time, Shen Xingran abandoned his usual composed demeanor and yelled, hastily grabbing his bathrobe before dashing back into the bathroom.

Well, it was a night without slumber.

Only Lu Ran slept without a care in the world.

The next day was a weekend.

Lu Ran didn't wake up until almost eight o'clock.

He emerged from the bedroom with Big Yellow, who had already been freshly bathed, and yawned as he made his way to the dining room.

As they approached the dining area, Big Yellow paused and grunted at Lu Ran.

Seemingly feeling a bit awkward about what had happened the previous day.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Lu Ran called out to him.

Seeing its owner's carefree demeanor, Big Yellow hesitated for two seconds. A hint of innocence flashed in its round eyes before it followed Lu Ran inside.

The entire Shen family villa was eerily quiet.

Aside from a few housekeepers downstairs, the upper levels were devoid of any signs of life, completely silent.

The restaurant, which had been in disarray the previous night, had been tidied up, revealing no trace of the previous night's turmoil.

Lu Ran, the culprit behind it all, seemed to have completely forgotten what had happened and sat at the dining table as usual.

The tabletop was barren.

Feeling somewhat displeased, he turned to the kitchen staff and asked, "Where's breakfast?"

His question caused an eerie silence to descend upon the bustling household downstairs for a couple of seconds.

In the past, Lu Ran had been an unwanted nuisance in the Shen family.

He held a lowly status and was later ordered to move into the warehouse within the courtyard, living a life even less comfortable than that of the household staff.

The family members showed him no respect, and the servants followed their example by ignoring him too.

If this had happened before, those on the first floor would likely have pretended not to hear him.

But this time, someone from the kitchen deliberately stepped out and approached the dining table, speaking respectfully with a softened tone, "Madam and Master are still at the hospital, and Second Young Master and Third Young Master are out, so breakfast wasn't prepared this morning."

The housekeeper's voice gradually softened, clearly realizing something amiss.

Sure enough, Lu Ran lifted his head and looked at him with genuine confusion, "Am I not human?"

Housekeeper: "..."

"I'm sorry, Young Master Lu, I'll prepare it right away." He immediately apologized and hurried towards the kitchen.

Taking two steps before halting, he turned to look at Lu Ran with an expression that spoke volumes, softly inquiring, "You mean... you're going to have breakfast here?"

He gestured towards the dining room.

"Elsewhere?"

Lu Ran was in the process of filling Big Yellow's food bowl. Hearing this, he looked up at the butler in confusion.

Upon hearing Lu Ran's response, all the domestic staff present directed reverent gazes towards him.

In no time, breakfast was served.

Lu Ran began eating as if nothing had happened.

He knew what the housekeepers were surprised about.

But he truly didn't mind.

Having studied veterinary medicine himself, he was well aware that feces were merely undigested protein remnants and bacteria.

The restaurant had likely been sprayed with disinfectant numerous times, so there shouldn't be any hygiene concerns.

As for the psychological aspect...

Lu Ran worked at a pet store.

It wasn't uncommon for boarded cats and dogs, due to unfamiliar surroundings or poor habits, to turn their boarding rooms into a mess.

Lu Ran was the one who always took care of cleaning up.

Moreover, since Lu Ran was ten and began raising Big Yellow, he had been dealing with dog feces ever since.

After all, it was an orphanage, and hiding a dog was impossible.

Soon enough, one of his playmates, who didn't get along with him, secretly informed the teachers.

At that time, for the safety of the children in the orphanage, stray dogs were prohibited from entering.

The teacher, bound by their duty, tried to chase Big Yellow away.

But Director Lu arrived on the scene.

In Lu Ran's memory, Director Lu was a smiling, little old man.

When he refused to part with Big Yellow, Director Lu approached and asked if he truly wanted to keep the dog, if he had considered the responsibilities that came with raising a pet.

It was also Director Lu who taught him that while having a pet provided companionship, it also entailed taking on responsibility.

If he insisted on keeping Big Yellow, he would have to be responsible for feeding and cleaning up after the dog, as well as managing its behavior to avoid causing trouble for others.

Of course, Big Yellow was still not allowed to stay in the dormitory.

After informing the security office, Director Lu arranged a small nest for Big Yellow inside and got him vaccinated.

Every day, Lu Ran would visit to feed Big Yellow and clean up after him.

Due to the popularity of fluffy pets, the orphanage later designated a separate small courtyard to raise rabbits, chicks, and other such small animals. Each class took turns to look after them.

Back when he was at the orphanage, Lu Ran had always dreamed of how blissful life would be after finding his family. But now, reflecting on his time with the Shen family in his previous life, Lu Ran felt that he had been happier at the orphanage.

Although the orphanage was filled with children, leading to occasional conflicts and times when the teachers were overwhelmed, Lu Ran had generally had everything he needed. He had even had access to expensive electronic devices.

Director Lu made it a point to visit each classroom every day.

As a child, Lu Ran had always adored the director. Whenever the director visited, his heart would race with excitement, eagerly hoping that this kind elder would engage him in conversation.

A compliment would be the icing on the cake.

But Director Lu was too busy, and there were simply too many children at the orphanage.

Just like the toys and electronic tablets in their classroom, everything belonged to everyone, not any one individual.

At times, Lu Ran would secretly fantasize that if only Director Lu were his family, just his alone, and not another child's.

Though this fantasy never came true, the director left Big Yellow in his care.

In no time, Lu Ran finished his meal.

Out of habit, he tidied up his dishes before heading out to work with Big Yellow in tow.

As he left, he happened to cross paths with Shen Xingran and Shen Xingzhuo returning home.

At the sight of Lu Ran, Shen Xingran immediately retreated into the car like a mouse encountering a cat.

He hadn't even had breakfast.

Just seeing Lu Ran and his dog made him feel as if he carried an unpleasant odor...

Shen Xingzhuo stood outside the car, not looking at Lu Ran at all.

Lu Ran gave them a longer glance.

It was common for the Shen family to ignore him, and he had grown accustomed to it.

But now...

This indifference was tinged with a palpable fear.

Shen Xingran hid completely.

Shen Xingzhuo didn't hide, but judging from how he reached for the car door, he seemed to want to escape too, but didn't have the chance.

Today, he had switched up his appearance, mainly due to a haircut.

He had shaved off his slightly long hair, leaving him with a close-cropped cut.

One could only wonder if the barber who gave him this haircut was aware of what those locks had endured the previous night.

Lu Ran paid no heed to such thoughts.

In a rush, he simply led Big Yellow past the car.

As they passed by Shen Xingzhuo from behind, this fearless second young master, perhaps recalling the sensation on his back from yesterday, stiffened like a statue.

On the other hand, Big Yellow, as they walked past Shen Xingzhuo, squatted down by his feet and wagged its little tail.

With its pair of black bean-like eyes, it looked at Shen Xingzhuo expectantly.

This was how Big Yellow showed affection and sought playtime from someone.

Lu Ran found this somewhat unusual.

He gently tugged on the leash. "Come on, Big Yellow. Silly dog, you don't even know who's good or bad."

Reluctantly, Big Yellow followed along.

Watching as the two disappeared from sight, Shen Xingran, who had been hiding in the car, finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Second Brother! Look at him!" Shen Xingran complained.

There was no response for a while.

Shen Xingran looked up and saw Shen Xingzhuo staring into the distance, muttering, "...still so young, yet he's called Big Yellow."

Not having heard clearly, Shen Xingran asked, "What were you muttering about, Second Brother?"

Only then did Shen Xingzhuo snap back to reality. "Oh, nothing."

The two walked towards the villa together.

As they passed by the dining room, Shen Xingzhuo instinctively showed concern for his younger brother. "You haven't had breakfast yet, are you hungry?"

Upon finishing their conversation, the two fell into an abrupt silence.

They turned their heads to glance at the scene of yesterday's "incident" before hastily fleeing upstairs.

Three days later, Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen finally returned from the hospital.

The moment they stepped out of the car, it was evident that both had lost a significant amount of weight.

During these past three days, they had barely eaten anything at all.

That night, Lu Ran had coincidentally presented them with a "surprise" right when their hunger was at its peak.

As a result, each of their bodies instinctively associated the sensation of hunger with that subtle yet breathtaking flavor and texture.

Whenever they felt hungry, their minds would involuntarily drift towards that memory.

It wasn't until the third day, when they could no longer endure, that they finally allowed themselves a small meal.

However, they had to steer clear of dark-colored, semi-solid foods, anything that resembled what was served on the table that fateful evening.

After a few days of fasting, Shen Hongyuan's pot belly, a result of his middle-aged weight gain, had vanished.

Upon returning to the villa, Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen, in unspoken agreement, bypassed the ground floor living room and headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor.

Halfway up the staircase, Shen Hongyuan's phone beeped with an incoming call.

Glancing down, he saw that it was an important client and promptly answered.

The voice on the other end sounded genuinely concerned: "President Shen, I heard you were hospitalized a couple of days ago. How are you feeling now?"

"It's President Li, isn't it? Thank you for asking. Nothing serious, just my old ailment flaring up – high blood pressure…" Recalling the reason behind his elevated blood pressure, Shen Hongyuan couldn't help but pause.

President Li remained warm and solicitous: "Yes, as we get older, we need to take better care, especially with our diet. We can't eat everything!"

Shen Hongyuan: "..."