Chapter 24 - Younger Brother

Of course, the lackey dared not send the video to Shen Xingran.

What on earth was recorded in that video!

Was he insane to dare circulate it? Zhang Lin might just end him.

No one knew how Zhang Lin had left the toilet or the club that night.

It was merely rumored that...

He had changed his clothes before departing.

Everyone present that evening remained tight-lipped about the incident.

The level of secrecy was even stricter than when something had happened to Lin Yi.

Zhang Lin, unusually, stayed at home for several consecutive days.

Not even setting foot outside the door.

Shen Xingran, the mastermind behind "all this," refrained from getting involved in the situation to protect the pristine reputation of his campus moonlight, Lu Ran.

A few days later, he learned that Lu Ran's experiment had been postponed and that he had lost a considerable amount of raw materials.

During a group meeting, Lu Ran was even reprimanded by their supervisor.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xingran was highly satisfied with Zhang Lin.

Feeling that Zhang Lin was far more efficient than Shen Xingzhuo.

As a mature oceanic polyamorist, one cannot afford to overlook the contributions of any fish in the pond.

Promptly, Shen Xingran opened WeChat and sent Zhang Lin a message.

"Brother Ling, Lin Yi has heard about you standing up for him. He's overjoyed."

Shen Xingran waited for what seemed like an eternity, but there was no response from the other end.

Shen Xingran gazed at the empty chat screen, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Thinking to himself, this time, Zhang Lin is quite capable of maintaining his composure.

After a while.

He cleared his throat, sending a voice message with a soft smile, "How enviable it is for Lin Yi to have a fiancé like you, Brother Long."

Shouldn't we be returning now?

Shen Xingran was brimming with confidence.

He exited the chat and engaged in conversation with others.

However, he didn't receive any notification from Zhang Lin's messages.

Shen Xingran even wondered if WeChat had somehow mysteriously swallowed his messages.

Since Zhang Lin was available just now, he didn't want to leave him hanging and proactively switched back to their chat window.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Xingran was dumbfounded.

On the chat screen, only his two messages were still floating there.

Had Zhang Lin not replied?

Not even to this?

Shen Xingran found it hard to believe.

It must be the poor internet connection that swallowed the message.

He refreshed the chat page several times in a row, but no new messages appeared.

Shen Xingran suddenly felt a bit anxious.

He meticulously reviewed their entire chat history and discreetly inquired others who were close to Zhang Lin.

He wanted to figure out if he had overlooked anything crucial.

Yet, despite his efforts, he didn't glean any significant information.

Shen Xingran subconsciously felt a sense of familiarity in this situation.

But he couldn't quite pinpoint where it came from.

After some thought, he realized who he was dealing with - Zhang Lin.

The Zhang family wasn't an ordinary small clan; it was understandable for their heir to be aloof.

Scanning through their chat history, Shen Xingran reflected and concluded that perhaps he had been too distant, too cold.

A change in strategy was needed.

Contemplating his next move, Shen Xingran decided to lower his guard.

He would find a shared topic and inject some humor into the conversation.

What topic could they possibly share?

Of course, it was Lu Ran!

Jokingly, Shen Xingran said, "Can you believe it? My brother actually chose to study veterinary medicine. Now he's dealing with cow dung every day. I just can't wrap my head around it..."

After sending that, Shen Xingran thought, That should do it, right?

He had already lowered himself enough.

As expected.

The moment he sent the message, it was like he had triggered a keyword. Zhang Lin immediately replied.

Shen Xingran finally felt at ease.

He took a sip of the coffee beside him and chatted with his classmates for a bit.

Only then did he calmly open Zhang Lin's chat window.

Amidst the chat window, a furious message loomed:

"NO! MORE! COW! MANURE! FOR! ME!"

Shen Xingran was dumbfounded.

Zhang Lin couldn't bring himself to reminisce about his ordeal.

For an entire month, he hadn't set foot outside his home, barely even leaving his room.

The meals delivered to his door were mostly untouched.

Not only that.

Rumor had it that he even visited the toilet less frequently.

He held it in whenever possible.

Amidst their busy schedule of conducting business, Zhang's parents noticed their son's condition and grew deeply concerned.

Therefore, he specifically instructed a few acquaintances' younger generations to invite Zhang Lin out more often for some social activities.

However, something unforeseen seemed to have transpired.

Upon hearing that these familiar faces were coming over, Zhang Lin directly scolded them and sent them away.

These younglings also lacked enthusiasm.

Each time they visited the Zhang residence, their faces wore an inexplicable awkward smile.

In short, the older generation had no clue what was going on.

But in Beijing's circle of second-generation heirs, there was an unusually significant decrease in their mischievous activities.

There hadn't been any trouble-making incidents for quite some time.

This brought much-needed relief to workers from all walks of life.

However, confining oneself at home indefinitely was not a viable solution.

A month later, a few newcomers who didn't usually keep in touch finally managed to arrange a meeting with Zhang Lin.

These few individuals never expected that they would succeed.

Each one was filled with excitement, yet also a hint of apprehension.

After all, the Zhang family holds a significant position in Jing City.

However, they weren't very familiar with Zhang Lin and didn't know about this young master's preferences. Before going out, they made a special effort to inquire about them.

Having heard that Zhang Lin had a penchant for horse riding, he took the initiative to invite him out to the stables.

The sky is high and the air is clear.

The lawn is spacious.

Golden sunlight cascaded upon the meticulously tended lawn, casting a soothing and pleasant warmth upon the scene.

Zhang Lin strolled across the grassy field with a companion.

For the moment, he pushed aside all memories of what had transpired a month ago and engaged in lighthearted conversation with those around him.

It was as if he had returned to his former, vibrant self.

The owner of the stable led out a sleek, well-groomed racehorse.

With enthusiasm, someone nearby introduced, "Young Master Zhang, this horse's mother is a celebrated champion mare who has received an award from the Queen herself. Its father is also a recurring champion on the Irish international racing circuit. This young stallion has already won accolades in two regional competitions."

One of the onlookers flattered, "Only such a fine steed is worthy of Young Master Zhang..."

Zhang Lin smiled but said nothing, circling around the horse.

Just as he reached out to stroke its back,

the horse suddenly slumped in its stance.

With a soft "plop," a steaming pile of dung hit the ground.

The horse enthusiasts present were accustomed to such occurrences.

He even joked with Zhang Lin, "This horse looks well-fed; its feces are healthy too."

After a moment of analysis, he didn't receive any response.

Looking up, he saw Young Master Zhang, who was just full of vigor, now staring blankly at the pile of horse dung on the ground.

His face had turned ashen.

"Ahh!"

Zhang Lin let out a shriek and, almost in a state of breakdown, rushed back to the car.

"Young Master Zhang!"

The people behind, clueless about what had triggered him, chased after him, utterly perplexed.

A memory he had been desperately trying to forget resurfaced.

As the only son and heir of the Zhang family, Zhang Lin had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Within his immediate surroundings, everything that could come near him was associated with luxury, cleanliness, and expense.

But that very same night!

Zhang Lin encountered a horrifying experience that left an indelible mark on his life.

To this day, whenever he closes his eyes,

he can still feel the stench lingering on his face.

It was also the first time Zhang Lin realized that even the simple act of using the restroom could be terrifying.

What was even more horrifying was that these were not the only consequences.

Lu Ran's appearance actually appealed to Zhang Lin's taste.

That very night, he found himself developing a certain sexual interest in Lu Ran.

But!!!

Now, whenever he thought of Lu Ran, all he could recall were those seemingly innocent yet devilish black eyes.

When he imagined Lu Ran's soft whispers, the phrase "What did the hamster do wrong?" echoed in his mind, along with the image of that bloodied hamster corpse.

When he remembered Lu Ran's fierce shouting, it was accompanied by visions of dung smeared across his face and Lu Ran's hands around his neck, roaring at him.

Throughout it all, he still experienced phantom pains as if his intestines were twisting in agony.

The most terrifying part was...

Every time he felt any sexual desire, inevitably, thoughts of Lu Ran would surface.

And with Lu Ran came these horrifying memories.

As a result...

Zhang Lin looked at his dispirited little brother and wept uncontrollably.

This couldn't go on!

Unbeknownst to Lu Ran, his prank on the pitiful Zhang Lin had left deep emotional scars.

If he were aware, he'd probably just scoff and say it served the other guy right.

When no one provoked him, he remained the same struggling college student, shuttling between assignments, exams, the lab, and part-time jobs.

Winter vacation was imminent.

To ensure a uninterrupted break, he needed to complete a phase of his experiment before its onset.

Otherwise, even on New Year's Eve, he'd receive his advisor's relentless calls, urging him to the lab to sort out data.

While he didn't have much to celebrate this New Year, he could at least treat Big Yellow to some beef dumplings.

Lu Ran turned down many part-time opportunities, dedicating each day to the lab.

Despite having played a trick on Zhang Lin,

However, Zhang Lin's underhanded tactics had caused him some minor setbacks, delaying the progress of his experiment by at least a week.

In the evening, Ding Wei also appeared in the laboratory.

He hadn't even put on his lab coat, sneaking in only after confirming that their mentor was absent.

After retrieving his experimental equipment, he didn't look for a bench to sit on but instead went straight to Lu Ran's workstation, saying,

"Lu Ran, you live nearby, right? I've got something going on lately, so could you help me with the experiments? Just give me the data when you're done."

Without waiting for Lu Ran's response, he turned to leave.

Lu Ran lifted his foot to hook the stool, blocking Ding Wei's path.

"What's so urgent that you can't do your own experiment? Weren't you the one who wanted to conduct it?"

Ding Wei showed no sign of guilt and replied with a smile, "Festivals are coming up, don't I need to go home?"

"Don't I have festivals to celebrate too?" Lu Ran countered.

Ding Wei instinctively chuckled and casually said, "You're an orphan..."

He had just started speaking when he realized that he had let his true thoughts slip. He scratched his face awkwardly.

Just then, their mentor entered to inspect their progress.

Worried that Lu Ran might say something out of anger, Ding Wei quickly spoke up loudly, "I told you your experiment would be delayed. You threw away the previous petri dishes; do you plan on starting all over again?"

His words immediately drew the mentor's attention to Lu Ran.

Seeing the mentor approach with a stern look, asking Lu Ran about the experiment without noticing that Lu Ran had been doing his work, Ding Wei sighed in relief.

"The data for this part, how much longer will it take? Haven't you succeeded in separating the strains yet?" the mentor asked.

Upon hearing the seriousness in his mentor's tone, a tiny twinge of guilt flickered in Ding Wei's heart.

But then he thought, what was wrong with telling the truth? Lu Ran was indeed slowing down the progress of the experiment.

Who could blame him for getting on someone's bad side so easily?

Lu Ran glanced at Ding Wei and retrieved the Petri dishes he had just put away.

The isolated colonies were neatly arranged inside.

Lu Ran handed over the organized data. "All the anticipated strains have been separated, but during the process, I encountered other bacteria as well. I'd like to examine them more closely."

"I've compared this data with the previous interrupted findings, and everything aligns perfectly."

Upon receiving the data, the mentor's expression softened immediately.

Ding Wei was astonished; he hadn't expected Lu Ran to work so efficiently.

The mentor asked a few more questions, to which Lu Ran responded smoothly.

Ding Wei listened with growing impatience.

Because he didn't quite understand.

However, witnessing Lu Ran's interaction with their mentor, Ding Wei, eager to make himself known, was reluctant to leave.

Having concluded his inquiries about Lu Ran, the supervisor turned to Ding Wei. "You must be Little Ding, right? You don't seem to visit the lab often?"

Ding Wei felt somewhat awkward.

He managed a smile, preparing to say something.

However, just as he was about to speak, Lu Ran, who was already packing up, glanced at him and casually reminded, "Ding Wei, why aren't you wearing your lab coat?"

Ding Wei froze.

The supervisor's expression instantly turned stern.