Chapter 49: The Cup

The supervisor was taken aback by Ji Min's attitude.

This was the first time Ji Min had introduced someone in such a manner.

It was as if he was protecting him with an intimate closeness, yet it didn't quite seem so.

Yet, he showed exceptional tolerance towards that young man.

Perplexed, the supervisor decided to take Ji Min's words at face value.

Lu Ran retrieved the food.

Recalling Ji Min's instructions, he returned to his side.

Indeed, Ji Min had come for business purposes.

When Lu Ran arrived, he found him seated at a round table.

Butler Chen stood behind him.

Lu Ran finished his plate in two bites and joined him.

Opposite Ji Min were two people.

One was the golden-haired foreigner who had been babbling in Italian just outside.

Lu Ran had initially assumed that Ji Min was here to discuss business with an overseas company.

But he discovered that the second young master of the Leno family, with his blond hair and blue eyes, had a Chinese father through and through.

Lu Ran mimicked Butler Chen, standing with his head lowered.

Occasionally, he would let his gaze drift through the railing to look at the area downstairs.

He was lost in thought, feeling that the surname Leno sounded somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, his shoulder was bumped.

Lu Ran lifted his gaze for a fleeting glance.

He saw an attractive man, clearly of mixed heritage, with a distinctively handsome face.

A rakish smile played on the corners of his lips.

"Jin!" The Second Young Master called out to the newcomer.

Upon seeing this person, Lu Ran suddenly realized where he had heard the Lenoir name before.

Jin Lenoir.

The eldest son of the Lenoir family – one of Shen Xingran's love interests, to be precise.

They followed a script of love and strife.

Due to the Lenoir family's move abroad decades ago, there had been a conflict between them and Shen Grandfather's generation before their departure.

The Shens and the Lenoirs could be considered age-old rivals.

None of this mattered to Lu Ran.

Because by the time this plotline unfolded, he would have long left the Shen family and embarked on a life of hiding.

What disgusted Lu Ran was—

The Shen family refused to acknowledge him when it suited them, excluding him from any benefits. Yet, when the Leno family launched their indiscriminate assault, he was still dragged into the fray.

Working odd jobs outside, he was not only trampled upon casually by the Shen family but also received two or three kicks from the Linos, who were adversaries of the Shen family.

Did they think he was a pushover?

Lu Ran maintained a calm expression, keeping his gaze lowered as if contemplating his own nose.

When Jin approached, he cast a condescending glance at Ji Min, particularly focusing on his legs.

That gaze was indescribable for Lu Ran.

Merely witnessing it made him highly uncomfortable, as if someone had ruthlessly exposed his vulnerabilities and was now stirring them with a dagger.

"The eldest son of the Leno family," the interpreter introduced.

After that, the man moved to the other side of the round table and engaged in casual conversation in Italian with his younger brother and father.

The three of them laughed jovially.

Their gazes subtly swept across Ji Min.

The interpreter, standing nearby, seemed to have understood something, beads of sweat trickling down their forehead.

Butler Chen also furrowed his brow slightly.

Lu Ran could guess that it probably had something to do with Ji Min's leg.

He suspected that Ji Min could make the same assumption.

Surprisingly, the man's expression remained exceptionally calm.

He even waited politely for the trio to finish laughing before he continued with the main topic in a composed tone.

Upon realizing that he didn't understand them at all, mockery flickered even more prominently in the eyes of the two Lino brothers.

However, their father's expression, for some reason, had turned more solemn.

The negotiation continued for quite a while.

Lu Ran was rather surprised.

He hadn't expected Ji Min to have such an image in the business world.

Impenetrable and unyielding, giving nothing away.

Capable of completely ignoring the mockery in the other party's eyes for the sake of profit, smoothly acting like a consummate businessman.

And incredibly shrewd too.

With his brows slightly furrowed, Lu Ran pondered inwardly about the challenges of being a boss – one had to maintain composure even when ridiculed during business negotiations.

Unbeknownst to him, his obedient demeanor was attracting attention.

Midway through the negotiation, the atmosphere lightened slightly.

Lu Ran turned to get more refreshments.

As he moved, someone intercepted him.

Looking up, he found the eldest son of the Leno family, with his legs stretched out, blocking his way.

"The color of your eyes is captivating," the man smiled at him, casually scanning Lu Ran from head to toe with his gaze.

His Mandarin was not particularly fluent, carrying a thick accent.

Lu Ran didn't respond.

Immediately after his compliment, a malicious glint flashed in the speaker's eyes as he continued with his awkward accent:

"You'll look even more beautiful when you're looking up at me from beneath my hips."

The atmosphere in the room plunged to an icy chill with that one sentence.

Ji Min's expression darkened gradually.

Just then, Jin Youcan chuckled and said, "I was just joking."

He squinted his eyes and shrugged. "What can I say? I just can't help but speak my mind when I see a beautiful person."

The Second Young Master broke into laughter upon hearing this.

Their father remained expressionless but didn't intervene either.

Lu Ran's face remained completely calm throughout.

There was none of the typical embarrassment or rage one would expect from a child of his age after such an impertinent outburst.

However, with his head lowered, to the unobservant eye, it might have appeared as if he was afraid.

Lu Ran walked past Jin and continued on his way.

At that moment, Young Master Yang carelessly knocked over his wine glass, splashing red wine all over Lu Ran's pants.

"I'm so sorry about that!" Yang said in a clumsy Mandarin, acting nonchalant.

Ji Min then spoke up calmly, "Go to the restroom and take care of it."

Lu Ran acknowledged the instruction, walking away with half his body soaked in the glaring red wine.

The event manager, standing nearby, hurriedly escorted Lu Ran personally to the restroom.

Initially, the manager had assumed Ji Min was merely bringing some young child along to play.

Judging from Lu Ran's attire, he was uncertain about the young man's identity.

Regardless, in the director's mind, Lu Ran was just an ordinary teenager.

But as they walked towards the restroom, the director's impression of him began to shift.

This was because Lu Ran was too composed.

Such calmness was entirely unlike what one would expect from a youth his age.

It didn't resemble the silent endurance of constant bullying, nor did it exude self-pity.

This demeanor sparked some doubt within the director.

As a result, his attitude toward Lu Ran became even more respectful.

Upon reaching the restroom door, the director continued, "I've arranged for someone to bring a clean change of clothes. Will you need assistance?"

"No need," Lu Ran shook his head, declining the offer. "I'll clean it up myself."

The organizer didn't insist further upon hearing this.

In the bathroom, Lu Ran used tissues and a towel to wipe off the alcohol from his body.

Although it was freezing outside, the air conditioning inside the banquet hall was cranked up, so Lu Ran wasn't feeling particularly cold.

After wiping himself for a while, he heard some noise coming from outside the bathroom door.

Lu Ran turned his head and saw a wheelchair rolling in slowly.

It was Ji Min.

"What are you doing here?" Lu Ran asked.

The man fell silent for a moment, then looked at the stains on Lu Ran's shirt. "Aren't you angry?"

Lu Ran was straightforward. "Of course I'm angry."

Despite his words, his eyes held no trace of anger, only a deep darkness.

Ji Min slightly furrowed his brows and gazed into his eyes for a long while.

"Why didn't you explode then?" he asked.

Lu Ran shrugged at him. "As the boss, you're enduring it. How can an employee like me afford to lose my temper?"

Ji Min fell silent, not speaking a word.

In truth, this business deal today wasn't that significant; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen such a venue or brought Lu Ran along.

Remaining calm during negotiations was simply his usual practice.

Lu Ran tossed the soaked tissues into the trash bin before picking up a hairdryer to gently blow on his clothes.

Having completed these tasks, he was the first to leave the restroom.

Ji Min was about to follow suit.

As he reached the exit, he saw Lu Ran return.

In his hand was a tray holding three empty cups.

Ji Min was taken aback.

Seeing him enter with cups in hand, this action left Ji Min's mind momentarily disoriented, leaving him in a daze for a solid moment.

When he regained his composure, he noticed Lu Ran had entered the adjacent accessible restroom.

Ji Min instinctively followed.

Confused, he asked, "Where did you get those cups?"

"I asked the uncle outside for it." Lu Ran's voice was filled with delight.

Ji Min paused.

In his nearly three decades of life, he had never encountered someone entering a restroom stall with a glass in hand.

He truly couldn't imagine what Lu Ran was up to at this moment.

Out of a baffled curiosity, he circled around the partition and stopped to peek into the stall.

There, he saw Lu Ran holding the stem of a wine glass, lowering its rim into the toilet bowl.

With each sway of his hand, a clear and melodious sound of water echoed.

Ji Min fell completely silent.

After several seconds, his scalp tingled as he asked, "What are you doing?"

As Lu Ran busied himself, he glanced up at Ji Min and explained, "They provoked me, and I'm not the type to endure such things without retaliation."

Fixing his gaze into Ji Min's eyes, Lu Ran continued, "But you've helped me a great deal, so I can't involve you in any trouble. Hence, I settled for this subtle form of revenge."

Ji Min felt a mix of emotions.

On one hand, the situation was entirely beyond his comprehension, appearing somewhat explosive and absurd.

On the one hand, he couldn't help but be deeply moved by the sincerity and consideration evident in the young man's words.

This left Ji Min utterly speechless.

"And they don't show you much respect, aren't you angry about that?"

The young man, at this moment, still didn't forget to invite him to join their group.

What surprised Ji Min even more was...

The youth gazed up at him with a pair of obedient, ebony-colored pupils, articulately explaining himself all the while not ceasing his actions in the slightest.

Each cup was immersed in the toilet water.

He was engaged in this somewhat absurd, even frenzied act, yet his emotions were entirely calm and rational.

For a moment, an immense contrast was vividly displayed on Lu Ran's youthful face, still bearing the innocence of adolescence.

Curiosity suddenly piqued in Ji Min.

What kind of experiences has this child gone through to be able to do such a thing with an emotionless face?

After soaking for a few minutes, Lu Ran picked up the cups one by one.

As he lifted them, he didn't flick off the water.

Water from the toilet trickled down the sides of the glass, pooling at the bottom of the stemmed cup.

Ji Min immediately understood what Lu Ran intended to do.

He rubbed his forehead and said, "Well, but..."

"They were incredibly disrespectful. Talking about your legs and then speaking of me that way." Lu Ran looked up at Ji Min with an unwavering gaze and asked, "Do you have a better way to retaliate?"

Of course, Ji Min did.

In the second half of the negotiation, the Lino family would learn their fate.

During the project's execution, there would be ample opportunities to humble them, perhaps even to the point of begging for mercy.

But...

Ji Min glanced at the three cups on the tray.

For a moment, he felt that none of his methods seemed as... effective as Lu Ran's?

He fell silent.

The youth chuckled heartily and proceeded with his task, his hands deftly moving in cheerful industriousness.

After preparing all three cups with the utmost care.

He even took his time to wash his hands elaborately before he carried the tray out.

Ji Min followed silently behind.

His usually placid heart was now turbulent, akin to waves crashing in a tempestuous storm.

He watched as Lu Ran filled three glasses to the brim with wine.

The deep red wine merged with the transparent liquid at the bottom of the cup, eventually blending into one.

Despite his drenched clothing from the spilled wine, Lu Ran returned to the round table.

Ji Min followed behind him, observing the young man as he bowed his head, his demeanor cautious and attentive.

Apologizing to the trio at the table, he said,

"Sincerely, I do have some connections with the Shen family, but I also despise their actions! These three cups of wine are my tribute to you three, hoping it won't spoil your evening."

The young man placed the three glasses of wine respectfully in front of them, his demeanor filled with sincerity and anxiety. Suddenly remembering something, he hastily asked a waiter for a clean empty glass, then cautiously held its stem, filling it to the brim before downing it in one go.

He then showed the bottom of the glass to the three Linos, "Bottoms up, feel free to drink as you please."

This display clearly pleased the trio, especially considering he was someone close to Ji Min, and the previous incident had been rather embarrassing.

Business must go on.

Thus, out of courtesy, all three of them raised their glasses and took a sip.

Ji Min returned to his seat at the round table.

He watched, wide-eyed, as the three men... their lips touched the glass that had just been submerged in the toilet bowl.

Lu Ran was still acting.

Seeing that they had finally drunk the wine, he cautiously released a breath of relief.

Then, he stepped back to a slightly distant spot, pretending to be wary of disturbing them.

The three men on the other side were oblivious.

Their faces still carried that air of arrogance and disregard for others.

For the first time ever, Mr. Ji, who was usually indifferent, found his heart unexpectedly filled with sympathy.